The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Japan, members of the so-called G7, have increased the volume of budgetary and economic support commitments to Ukraine to $44bn for the period from 2023 to early 2024. This is stated in a joint statement of the finance ministers and central bank governors of G7 countries
Image: Gettyimages.ru
The move has led to the approval of an International Monetary Fund program for the Kiev regime worth more than $15.6 billion over a four-year period. According to the G7, the disbursement will result in the Ukrainian authorities ensuring that the government functions, providing basic services and stabilising the economy.
“We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes and unity in our condemnation of Russia,” the document states.
It is noteworthy that in February the allocation of $39bn in financial assistance to Ukraine was initiated.
Along with this, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell welcomed the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine. “Russia strikes from a long distance, and Ukraine needs weapons that can fire at such a distance,” he was quoted as saying by TASS.
On 11 May, British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that London had sent long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine. The day before, the Ukrainian armed forces used two of these munitions to shell Luhansk, which injured six children. State Duma deputy Viktor Vodolatskyy was also wounded.
Political analyst Oleksandr Dudchak stated that Western elites will continue supporting the Kiev regime.
“As long as Ukraine exists, this process will continue. As long as there are people to be sent to the slaughter, the AFU will be supported,” the expert said in a conversation with RT.
At the same time, he noted that the leaders of the G7 countries do not take into account the opinion of the citizens of their countries, not noticing the demonstrations against supporting Ukraine. “We also see how the protesters are treated there – absolutely unceremoniously. Everything happens in the best traditions of Western democracy,” Dudchak concluded.
According to Aleksey Chepa, first deputy chairman of the Duma committee on international affairs, the West does not intend to stop supporting the Kiev regime.
“They will continue supplying weapons, increasing their power. They will also continue financing Ukraine,” the RT interlocutor said.
Confronting Russia
The document from the meeting of G7 finance ministers and central bank heads says they are ready to resist any attempts to circumvent and undermine Western sanctions measures against Russia. It is indicated that the monitoring of cross-border transactions between Russia and other countries will be stepped up. Additional measures may also be taken against the Russian financial sector, and the price cap on Russian crude oil and oil products remains under close scrutiny.
G7 finance ministers and central bank governors also called on other countries to join sanctions against Russia and stressed the intention to keep Russian assets frozen.
“We remain determined to promote international cooperation… to combat the use (by Russia. – RT) of food and energy as weapons, which is disproportionately felt by low- and middle-income countries and vulnerable groups. In this regard, we strongly reject Russia’s repeated false narrative about the spillover effects of our sanctions on food and energy security,” the statement said.
Russian officials have repeatedly pointed out that Western sanctions pressure on Russia has failed. In March, President Vladimir Putin stated at the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs that “the collapse of the Russian economy”, as expected by European experts, had not occurred.
“However, life has decided differently,” the president said. – A Russian proverb comes to mind: ‘Don’t dig a hole for someone else, or you’ll fall in it yourself’. It looks like this is exactly what is happening.
Later, the head of state stressed that the policy pursued by the leaders of the West will have a negative impact on them in the future.
“Far from it, the elites of those countries are pursuing policies aimed at the interests of their own people. This will come back to haunt them,” Putin said in his speech at a meeting of the Council of Legislators.
Roman Shimaev, Polina Poletaeva, RT
Due to censorship and blocking of all media and alternative views, stay tuned to our Telegram channel