Author: dmitriy.vasyura@gmail.com

The foreign ministers of Group of Seven (G7) countries are expected to agree to increase diplomatic pressure on China over the country's support for Russia's 'war machine' in Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 25, citing an early draft of a communique seen by the publication.

The draft communique, which vows to introduce "appropriate measures consistent with our legal systems, against actors in China and in other third countries," is still in development as G7 foreign ministers meet in Italy on Nov. 25-26, Bloomberg reported.

If adopted, the language of the communique would mark an escalation among G7 allies, with an April communique simply calling for China to "ensure" that it stops supporting Russia with dual-use goods.

The reported draft communique comes as G7 allies attempt to increase pressure, as well as support for Ukraine, ahead of the January inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump — who has repeatedly criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine and vowed to get the U.S. "out" of the war as soon as possible. The draft communique is also expected to reaffirm the G7's "unwavering commitment" to Ukraine.

The escalatory tone comes as Western allies have reportedly accused China of militarily supporting Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Reuters reported on Sept. 25, citing European intelligence sources, that Russia has secretly established a development and production program in China for attack drones to be used in the war.

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell reportedly informed European nations of "convincing" evidence of Chinese production "of lethal aid" to Russia, the German media outlet Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported on Nov. 15, citing three EU officials.

According to the draft communique, G7 allies will also "continue to apply significant pressure on Russian revenues from energy, metals and other commodities through the effective implementation of existing measures and further actions against (Russia's) ‘shadow fleet’" — referring to Moscow’s efforts to evade sanctions on the $60-per-barrel oil price cap imposed two years ago.

Earlier on Nov. 25, the United Kingdom sanctioned 30 oil tankers of Russia's "shadow fleet" that carried billions of dollars worth of oil and oil products last year.

Draft communiques are often subject to revision before a final draft is approved.

China has repeatedly claimed to have positioned itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, but has simultaneously deepened economic ties with Moscow and backed the country against Western sanctions.

Earlier in July, NATO's then-Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that allies agreed that Beijing is a "decisive enabler" of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

UK targets 30 tankers in its largest sanctions package against Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’The United Kingdom sanctioned 30 oil tankers of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that carried billions of dollars worth of oil and oil products last year, the government said on Nov. 25.The Kyiv IndependentBoldizsar Gyori

Air defense has been activated in Kyiv due to a drone attack. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, the militants are entering the city from different directions.

Air defense is working in the capital. This was announced by Mayor Vitali Klitschko, UNN reports.

The UAV attack on the capital continues. Air defense forces are operating in different parts of the city. Chechens enter the capital from different directions

– said the mayor.

Recall

Earlier, it was reported that explosions had occurred in Kyiv.

Explosions are heard in KyivNov 25 2024, 10:43 PM • 696 views

A record 38 Russian Shahed-type attack drones entered Belarusian territory overnight on Nov. 24-25, with at least one of the drones reportedly shot down by the Belarusian Air Force, the monitoring group Belarusian Hajun reported.

The airspace intrusions, which have increased in recent months, comes as Russia continues to intensify its drone attacks against Ukrainian cities. Russia launched a total of 145 drones at Ukrainian targets overnight, with Ukrainian air defenses downing 71 of the attack drones, Ukraine's Air Force said.

The incident, marking the largest Russian drone incursion into Belarusian airspace since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, marks one of the rare occasions when a Belarusian aircraft has downed a drone entering its airspace. Belarus' military confirmed downing a Russian drone over its territory for the first time on Sept. 5.

According to Belarusian Hajun, the Belarusian Air Force scrambled fighter jets four times over the past 24 hours to counter the attack drones. The monitoring group reported that the majority of the attack drones passed along Belarus' southern border with Ukraine, particularly in Homel Oblast.

Minsk has never publicly raised objections to Moscow – its key ally – over the reported drone incidents.

Despite not being directly involved in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belarus hosts Russian troops and missiles on its territory.

The attacks come as Russia continues to increase its attacks against civilian targets, amid an expected harsh winter plagued by energy shortages.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 2 that Russia launched over 2,000 Shahed-type drones at Ukraine in October, with the Air Force previously reporting that Russia launched at least 4,300 Shahed-type attack drones and similar UAVs imitating Shaheds against Ukraine between August and October 2024.

Later in the day on Nov. 25, a Russian drone attacked the village of Solonchaky in Mykolaiv Oblast while humanitarian aid was being distributed there, injuring five people with both aid workers and residents among the victims.

Drone coalition to gather $1.8 billion by end of 2024, defense minister saysAn allied initiative, co-headed by the U.K. and Latvia, was launched in January to bolster Ukraine’s arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which became a crucial capability on the battlefield. Nearly 20 countries joined the coalition as of late November.The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

The Ukrainian Defense Minister discussed the key needs of the Armed Forces with his colleagues from Germany, France, Italy, the UK and Poland. Umerov emphasized the need for faster and more effective support from partners.

Umerov said that support for allies should be faster and more effective. This is reported by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, UNN reports.

Details

Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov discussed the key needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces during a videoconference with the defense ministers of Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Poland. An important emphasis was placed on the need for more prompt and effective support from international partners.

Umerov emphasized that in order to achieve victory, Ukraine must receive more weapons, ammunition and technical assistance from its allies. One of the priorities is to strengthen air defense, given the constant threat from a terrorist country that continues to attack Ukraine's critical infrastructure.

The issue of artillery ammunition was also raised, as the 1 million shells provided by our partners are not enough to achieve the necessary parity with the enemy. In this regard, Umerov emphasized the need for additional supplies for effective combat.

Ukraine actively cooperates with international partners in the defense industry. The key areas for development include the production of ammunition, armored vehicles, air defense systems and artillery systems in Ukraine, as well as technology transfer for the development of domestic defense capabilities.

Umerov paid special attention to the need to audit the assistance provided to Ukraine over the past three years to identify the most effective support models and expand them in the future. Ukraine is also ready for new initiatives that will help meet the needs of the Armed Forces in 2025.

Umerov on using Storm Shadow: let's not go into detailsNov 21 2024, 06:26 AM • 17713 views