WASHINGTON/BERLIN - Leaders of the Group of Seven nations plan to tighten sanctions on Russia at their summit in Japan this week, with steps aimed at energy and exports aiding Moscow’s war effort, said officials with direct knowledge of the discussions.
The Biden administration has previously pushed G-7 allies to reverse the group’s sanctions approach, which today allows all goods to be sold to Russia unless they are explicitly blacklisted.While the allies have not agreed to apply the more-restrictive approach broadly, US officials expect that in the most sensitive areas for Russia’s military, G-7 members will adopt a presumption that exports are banned unless they are on a designated list.
Some US allies have resisted the idea of banning trade broadly and then issuing category-by-category exemptions. Meanwhile, any change in language, including language specifying that certain trade is banned unless specifically exempted, by the G-7 leaders may not necessarily lead to more bans immediately or indeed any change in Russia’s posture.