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Bloomberg
Group of Seven leaders were expected to hold a virtual meeting hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, according to a public itinerary for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The leaders are likely to discuss topics including support for Ukraine against Russia’s military assault. It wasn’t immediately clear whether all G7 leaders would participate.
Trudeau’s government imposed a fresh round of sanctions against Russia, targeting 33 current and former senior officials. The Canadian leader last spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on November 16.
Hungary has tried to convince the European Union to remove some Russian officials from its new round of sanctions against Moscow, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.
Hungary has “made no secret†of the fact that its government considers it a “serious risk†that adding further Russian officials may close off communications channels with Moscow, Szijjarto told reporters in Brussels where EU foreign ministers met. He said 141 people and 47 entities would be added to the EU sanctions list against Russia.
Other G-7 nations have also reaffirmed support for Ukraine in recent days. US President Joe Biden spoke with Zelenskiy “to underscore ongoing US support for Ukraine’s defense,†including the US announcement of $275 million in additional ammunition and equipment in part for systems to counter drone attacks by Russia, the White House said in a statement. Biden reaffirmed the US commitment to continue providing Ukraine with security, economic and humanitarian
assistance, holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities, and imposing costs on Russia for its aggression, according to the White House.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen signalled in comments broadcast that the administration is prepared to continue seeking billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine.
The US has promised $38 billion in military aid and delivered $13 billion in direct aid to Ukraine. Asked in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes†how long that level of support can continue, Yellen said, “As long as it takes.â€
Putin skips annual news conference
Bloomberg
President Vladimir Putin is dropping his annual marathon press conference for the first time in a decade, as his forces continue to stumble in their war in Ukraine.
“There won’t be one
before New Year,†Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call, without explanation, in response to a question about the event. The president would try to “find an opportunity†instead to talk to journalists, Peskov said.
Putin has held the end-of-year news conference each December since he returned to the presidency in 2012, drawing hundreds of journalists from across Russia and representatives of foreign media to Moscow for the televised live event that usually ran for well in excess of three hours.
He’s avoiding it this year amid repeated retreats by Russian forces in his war in Ukraine and tensions over the September call-up of 300,000 conscripts in Russia’s first military mobilisation since World War II.