The G7 Leaders Summit kicked off in Hiroshima on Friday with Canada joining other members in announcing new sanctions on Russia as well as new funding to guard against the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
The leaders of the G7 countries issued a joint statement reaffirming their support for Ukraine and announcing more sanctions against Russia.
“We are renewing our commitment to provide the financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support that Ukraine requires for as long as it is needed,” the statement said.
“We are imposing more sanctions and measures to increase the costs for Russia and those who support its war effort.”
Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new sanctions that Canada was imposing in brief comments made to the media.
“Today, Canada is announcing more than 70 new sanctions targeting people who support Russia’s illegal military action and are complicit in human rights violations,” he said.
“Canada will continue to be there to support Ukraine and support the rules-based international order.
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The Prime Minister’s Office says the sanctions apply to “17 individuals and 18 entities linked to Russian companies that provide military technology and know-how to Russia’s armed forces, family members of listed individuals, and members of the Kremlin elite.” .
Sanctions will also apply to 30 individuals and eight entities “involved in Russia’s ongoing human rights violations, including the transfer and custody of Ukrainian children in Russia.”
#Canada joins other #G7 nations in imposing new sanctions on Russia. #CDNPoli #UkrainianInvasion
In addition to the new sanctions, the G7 nations also sent a strong message condemning Russia for its nuclear rhetoric and its threats to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus.
“Russia’s threats to use nuclear weapons, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible,” the joint statement on nuclear disarmament reads.
Canada announced $15 million to help the international community monitor and respond to North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction programs.
He also announced an additional $4 million for the International Atomic Energy Agency to help verify and monitor Iran’s nuclear commitments.
Earlier on Friday, Trudeau held bilateral meetings with leaders from Japan, Italy and France.
In his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Trudeau spoke out against the Italian government’s stance on LGBTQ rights.
“Obviously, Canada is concerned about some of the (positions) that Italy is taking in terms of LGBT rights,” Trudeau told Meloni at the start of the meeting on Friday morning.
“But I hope I can talk to you about it.”
The comments were made at the beginning of the meeting, before the media left the room.
In March, gay rights activists denounced homophobic moves by the far-right Meloni government to limit recognition of parental rights to biological parents only in families with same-sex parents.
In a move that would affect hundreds of families, the government told the city of Milan to stop automatically registering both parents in same-sex couples in city registries.
It was the latest major city to continue the practice that had been briefly adopted in Rome, Turin, Naples and elsewhere after Italy’s top court in 2016 made it easier for gay people to adopt a couple’s biological child.
In a readout of the meeting sent out by the Prime Minister’s Office, it says the leaders “exchanged views on the importance of protecting and upholding human rights, including the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ people.”
“Prime Minister Meloni responded that her government is following court decisions and not deviating from previous administrations,” the summary reads.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 18, 2023.
With files from The Associated Press.