G-7 Leaders Unveil New Russia Sanctions

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the G-7 countries’ new Russia sanctions, Ukraine’s and Syria’s appearances at the Arab League summit, and Mexico’s first nonbinary passport.

The 49th G-7 summit kicked off on Friday in Hiroshima, Japan, and Russia’s war in Ukraine was at the top of the agenda. The bloc unveiled new measures to further restrict Russian access to member countries’ economies, including stricter export controls on Russian oil and gas, transportation efforts, and aircraft manufacturing. “We will starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment and services that support its war machine,” the bloc said in a statement. Individual member countries announced new sanctions of their own as well. The United Kingdom targeted Russian copper, aluminum, nickel, and diamonds. The U.S. Commerce Department added 71 companies to its trade blacklist for supporting Russia; only two of the corporations targeted were not Russian entities.

On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden told G-7 leaders that the United States would also back a joint initiative with European allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on modern military fighter aircraft, including U.S.-made F-16s. The Biden administration has long been reluctant to provide Ukraine with advanced fighter jets despite Kyiv’s pleas, but in recent weeks, Biden’s stance has shifted, and he has signaled to European allies that the United States won’t block them from sending such aircraft to Ukraine. Friday’s announcement that Washington will participate in the international training effort further indicates that Biden’s opposition has softened, though whether Washington will ever go as far as providing F-16s to Ukraine directly remains an open question.

In response to the news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is heading to Japan to meet with G-7 leaders in person, tweeted: “I welcome the historic decision of the United States and @POTUS to support an international fighter jet coalition. This will greatly enhance our army in the sky. I count on discussing the practical implementation of this decision at the #G7 summit in Hiroshima.”

Other issues on the first day’s agenda included acknowledging the G-7’s responsibility to lead global fossil fuel reduction; calling on Russia to re-implement the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, known as New START, as well as encourage China and Iran to seek full nuclear nonproliferation; and instituting plans to decrease the bloc’s dependence on China. “The world cannot decouple and does not need de-risking with China as the target,” warned Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin in response to the G-7’s efforts.

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Arab League summit. The 22-member Arab League met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday to discuss a number of issues important to the region, including the ongoing crisis in Sudan and the Israel-Palestine conflict. In a surprise visit, Zelensky also attended the gathering at Saudi Arabia’s invitation and delivered a speech calling on Arab leaders, many of whom have maintained close relations with Moscow, to support Kyiv. “Unfortunately, there are some in the world, and here among you, who turn a blind eye to those cages and illegal annexations,” Zelensky told the group. “And I am here so that everyone can take an honest look, no matter how hard the Russians try to influence.”

His pointed remarks likely irked one close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin in particular: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was in attendance at the summit for the first time since his country was suspended from the bloc in November 2011 following Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Syria soon descended into a devastating civil war that saw Assad use chemical weapons against his own people, among other atrocities. Thanks to military support from close allies Iran and Russia, Assad managed to stay in power, and even regional countries like Saudi Arabia that once supported the opposition trying to overthrow him have gradually begun restoring ties with his regime. His warm embrace at Friday’s summit signals his official return to the regional fold.

New passport policies. In honor of Wednesday’s International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, Mexico issued its first nonbinary passport, which allows the holder to select an “X” gender marker on their document instead of having to choose either male or female. The recipient was Jesús Ociel Baena Saucedo, who received the document in Naucalpan, north of Mexico City. This is a “great leap for the freedom and dignity of people,” said Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard.

Mexico has made significant strides in recent years to protect the rights of LGBTQ individuals. In October 2022, the Mexican state of Tamaulipas became the last region in the country to legalize same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage is still illegal or not recognized in parts of Latin America, including in most Central American states.

Prisoner amnesty. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed a large executive amnesty order on Thursday, releasing around one-fifth of all prisoners in the country. A total of 4,270 individuals were granted freedom in what Mnangagwa called a “noble gesture” to decrease overcrowding in state prisons. Only nonviolent offenders were granted amnesty. The former prisoners will be allowed to vote in the country’s upcoming August elections.

Residents of Hallstatt, Austria, know their mountainous village is beautiful—but they’re tired of tourists documenting it. In an effort to discourage visitors from taking selfies, the town constructed a fence on a popular bridge to partially block the nature-filled view. Although the fence has since been removed, Hallstatt’s mayor said he hopes to hang a banner reminding tourists to be courteous of locals.