World Leaders Land in Hiroshima for G7 Meeting, With Ukraine War High on Agenda
Diplomat
23-05-18 16:50
Leaders from the G7 countries have arrived in Hiroshima for a meeting where Russia's war in Ukraine is expected to be high on the agenda. Ahead of talks with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Thursday, US President Joe Biden remarked: "When our countries stand together, we stand stronger, and I believe the whole world is safer when we do.” Discussions regarding the battlefield in Ukraine and the state of play on sanctions are expected. Meanwhile, G7 leaders and guests from countries are also expected to discuss how to deal with the military buildup and growing assertiveness of China.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis plans to file formal paperwork for his presidential bid next week on 25 May, according to anonymous sources familiar with his plans. His filing date reportedly corresponds with a donor meeting in Miami. DeSantis has been coy about his potential campaign for the presidency, but he emerged as a possible front-runner after winning his 2022 reelection bid as governor of Florida by a nearly 20% margin. If he launches his bid, he will become the sixth person to run for the Republican presidential nomination.
James Bullard, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, has backed further increases in US interest rates to forestall inflation. Bullard, one of the US central bank’s leading “hawks”, said that lifting interest rates again after 10 rate hikes since last year would act as “insurance” against price rises. His views contrast with Fed chair Jay Powell's recent stance, with other policymakers calling for a more cautious through to monetary policy.
The Republican House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, has said a bill to raise the US debt ceiling could be approved by Congress as early as next week. Although he has not given a definite timeline and cautioned that negotiations remain ongoing, these comments represent some of the most optimistic he has given regarding the issue of debt ceiling. McCarthy praised the work of White House negotiators and said there was a “structure” for an agreement, but the bill would have to pass both the House and the Senate before reaching President Joe Biden’s desk for signature. Discussions toward a possible deal involve limits on discretionary spending and new constraints on social safety net programmes.
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy faced tough questioning from Fox News' Neil Cavuto over a controversial remark he made about Mexico's economy during a Senate hearing, in which he suggested that without US foreign aid, Mexico would be reduced to eating pet food. The remark was criticised by Mexico's ambassador to the US and deemed "vulgar and racist". Cavuto pressed Kennedy over whether he should apologise for the comment and whether it undermined his efforts to distance himself from the "loon wings" of his party. Kennedy responded that he loved the people of Mexico but hated the drug cartels.
The US Supreme Court has dropped the case involving policy Title 42, which let American officials quickly expel hundreds of such of migrants at the US-Mexican border, after the policy expired last week. Title 42, implemented in March 2020 as a measure tied to a public health emergency under former President Donald Trump, had been allowed to continue by President Joe Biden, who has implemented new asylum restrictions in light of its expiry. The case had been brought by Republican state attorneys general, seeking to defend the policy after a US district court judge ruled it unlawful for asylum-seeking migrant families in November.
President Guillermo Lasso has dissolved the National Assembly in Ecuador. This move came just as it attempted to impeach him and his government in an impeachment trial. Ecuador has a constitutional provision under which the president can dissolve the assembly during times of political crisis. Lasso is governing by decree for up to 6 months, during which the National Electoral Council is to set the date of presidential and legislative elections. Criticism of Lasso’s administration has surrounded its failures in solving health, transportation, and security problems in the country.
Ecuadorian lawmakers have claimed the dissolution of the National Assembly by President Guillermo Lasso is not legal, accusing him of using the move to prevent his own impeachment. Lasso used a 2008 constitutional provision allowing the president to disband the assembly in times of political crisis, with new elections required for both lawmakers and the president. Critics say the move is illegal as no urgent crisis was present. The dissolution drew lawsuits from several dissenting lawmakers, which have been passed to Ecuador's Constitutional Court for verdict.
A newly published report on the FBI’s investigations into the 2016 presidential election suggests a politically motivated bias, with the agency having treated the election candidates, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, quite differently. The report, by US Department of Justice Special Counsel John H. Durham, says that the FBI was too quick to launch its Crossfire Hurricane investigation into allegations that Trump’s campaign team colluded with Russia, although it also found that there had been no proven collusion between the parties. Durham also concluded that the FBI had “never opened any type of inquiry” into the allegation that Clinton’s campaign sought to deflect controversy over her use of emails by linking Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The FBI “never launched an investigation into rumours that foreign agents wished to target Team Clinton but, instead, provided Hillary's people with a defence briefing,” says journalist Matthew Sweet. The investigations and accusations about collusion had repercussions that undermined both candidates' electoral prospects and contributed to a widespread perception that it shaped US foreign policy.
Police in Tunisia have summoned two of Radio Mosaique’s top broadcasters, Haythem El Mekki and Elyess Gharbi, for questioning. The radio station is the country’s most prominent independent voice, and the broadcasters are known critics of President Kais Saied, whose government has been accused of cracking down on the media and political opposition. Concerns have grown over the rights of journalists and freedom of speech under Saied’s rule. Protesters have called out restrictions on freedom and the ongoing legal cases against bloggers and journalists in the country.
The UK plans to announce a ban on Russian diamonds and imports of metals from Russia, including copper, aluminium and nickel, to support Ukraine, as well as targeting an additional 86 people and companies from Russian President Vladimir Putin's military industrial complex. The announcement comes ahead of the G7 summit, where advanced democracies are poised to sanction Russia and debate the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. On Monday, the UK pledged to give Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy long-range drones, as part of an effort to secure new weapons for the country's counteroffensive against Russia.
Former US President Donald Trump has accused incumbent President Joe Biden of taking a "pro-China" stance as the issue of China's relationship with the US becomes a likely flashpoint in the 2022 presidential election. Trump has urged policies that would escalate the confrontation with China faster and further than Biden's current plans, accusing the president of keeping "a straitjacket that is certainly limiting their freedom of manoeuvre." Although there is now broad support for tariff policies against China, Biden's administration need to ensure they do not rope allies into a full-blown economic war to persuade them of the specific security concerns the tariffs address, experts warn.
The UK is to ban Russian diamond imports as part of its latest sanctions targeting Russia in response to their invasion of Ukraine. The new legislation will also block imports of Russian-origin nickel, copper, and aluminium. President Putin and 86 more people and companies connected to him are also set to be targeted by the sanctions, including those who are "actively undermining the impact of existing sanctions". The Russian diamond industry is worth $4bn in UK exports and the sanctions follow similar moves by the US and EU. The UK has targeted over 1,500 entities and individuals and frozen more than £18bn of assets since Russia's attack on Ukraine.
Argentine President Alberto Fernandez has joined protesters in Buenos Aires to push back against the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amid brewing tensions with the lender. The South American producer, which has a rocky history with the IMF, has been hit by almost 109% inflation and dwindling dollar reserves. Argentina agreed to a $57bn programme with the Washington-based organisation in 2018 but the agreement failed and was replaced by a new $44bn deal last year. Buenos Aires wants faster payouts and easier economic targets and is calling for an investigation into the original deal after a new government auditor report found it had not passed through proper legislative channels.
Chinese state-owned company Sinopec has partnered with Kazakh oil and gas business KazMunayGaz in plans to construct a gas-based petrochemical complex in Kazakhstan's Atyrau region. A final investment decision will be made in 2024, but the deal was announced at the China-Central Asia Summit in Xian, Jiangsu province. The complex will process ethane into ethylene and will have an annual capacity of 1.275 million tonnes, alongside two polyethylene facilities that will produce 625,000 tonnes a year. All three of China's main state-owned oil enterprises have previously invested in Kazakhstan's oil and gas sector.
Leaders from the G7 nations are set to unleash new sanctions against Russia as they meet for a summit in Japan, though Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz urged for “pragmatic measures” to avoid circumventing sanctions imposed on Moscow. G7 leaders will discuss the possibility of an international peace summit over Ukraine at the meeting. The EU has suggested tracking the trade in Russian diamonds with a view to imposing restrictions at a later stage, while the UK has announced a ban on Russian diamonds and imports of metals from Russia in support of Ukraine. Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden recently met Japanese PM Fumio Kishida to discuss ways of strengthening defence cooperation and counteracting coercive behaviour by China, with whom divisions are appearing within the G7, though leaders are expected to show a unified front regarding a common approach to dealing with the country based on shared values.
The Group of Seven (G7) states, led by the UK and US, has initiated new sanctions against Russia over its role in the civil war in Ukraine. The UK will now ban its companies from importing copper, nickel, and aluminum from the country, whilst importing Russian diamonds will be forbidden. Additionally, 86 new individuals and firms linked to the Russian President Vladimir Putin's “military-industrial complex” will be targeted. The US has pledged over 300 sanctions against Russian vessels, individuals, entities, and aircraft, whilst cutting almost 70 Russian and other countries’ firms from its exports. European Council President, Charles Michel, has separately suggested that the EU should seek to limit trade in Russian diamonds.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will attend the G7 Summit in Japan this weekend to bolster western support for Ukraine and to secure the backing of outside nations. Ukraine is in its 16th month of war with Russia and Zelenskyy is expected to make a plea for greater military support from western allies, including the US. Attendees of the G7 Summit have been warned that Zelenskyy’s presence could result in a summit focused on the war in Ukraine. The Japanese Prime Minister is keen for the summit to provide a focus on security issues in the Indo-Pacific region and on outreach with developing countries.
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has announced her "irrevocable resignation" from a major political party that backs President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., citing "political toxicity". The daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was elected vice president in 2016, did not specify which party she was leaving. However, it is widely expected to be her father's PDP-Laban party currently led by Manny Pacquiao. Sara Duterte has been widely considered a potential candidate for president in the 2022 elections.
Speculation around Sara Duterte’s future political plans has been increasing recently, with many believing that she may challenge her father’s former aide and political ally Rodrigo Duterte in the upcoming election. Sara Duterte said that her resignation was necessary to facilitate a “better working relationship with local officials from other political parties”, in a clear nod to the idea that she may be forming her own political party. Analysts have also suggested that Duterte may be joining the PAKGAN, a political party came out of nowhere that aims to put up a “third force” in Philippine politics.
Sara Duterte’s decision to break with her father’s party also highlights the fractures within the PDP-Laban party itself, which has been plagued by infighting and power struggles. Earlier this month, Senator Manny Pacquiao was ousted as the party president after he criticized the Duterte administration’s response to the Covid pandemic. Duterte’s resignation adds to the growing sense of uncertainty ahead of the 2022 election, with the president yet to announce whether he will seek a second term.
The president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, has warned of the presence of Russia's Wagner mercenaries in neighbouring countries Mali and Burkina Faso and urged Western investment in his country. Niger, which is rich in natural resources and minerals, produces seven percent of the world's uranium supply and is becoming a focus of Western interest as an African security and economic partner. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Niger in April and the country's president met with Emmanuel Macron in Paris and attended King Charles’ coronation in London. Bazoum stated that despite their presence in the region, he would "certainly not invite" Wagner to Niger. The Libyan-owned Wagner Group engages in lucrative commercial ventures in Africa and has a widespread military presence in the region. Some proceeds go to funding its operations in Ukraine, estimated to cost $100m per month. Climate change has also had a severe impact on the region, making it vulnerable to Islamist extremist recruitment. Bazoum has urged Western companies to invest in Niger, stating there is little incoming investment from countries such as France and the UK.
