Renewal of support for Ukraine in the war with Russia, criticism – with prudence – of China and too timid a commitment to combating the climate crisis. It is the first balance that emerges from the three days of the G7 in Hiroshima, Japan, in a summit focused above all on the conflict in Eastern Europe and the Group’s solid support in Kiev.
The agenda of the summit was underlined by the presence of Ukrainian President Zelensky himself, who flew to Japan for two of the three days of the session. Zelensky personally met some leaders, reiterated the urgency of a collaboration against Moscow and cashed in a new military and economic commitment from the USA. The results on the climate front are less clear-cut: in the final communiqué the leaders mention the goal of achieving “mainly” decarbonised energy by 2035, a distinction that disappoints those who hoped for clearer deadlines for the exit from fossil fuels.
The compact G7 on aid to Zelensky. Russia’s wrath for new aid
The renewal of support for Kiev also marked the closing ceremony of the Hiroshima summit. Zelensky visited the Peace Memorial with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, stressing that the images of the city devastated by the atomic bomb “are truly reminiscent of Bakhmut and other similar settlements and cities”. In terms of aid, the one evoked by Zelensky with his calls for “collaboration”, Kies obtained from the American president Joe Biden the commitment to a new package of 375 million dollars and a concrete opening to the so-called “jet coalition”: the strategy to help Kiev through the use of F-16s. The use of jets has unleashed the wrath of Russia, with Moscow attacking the measure and the entire G7. A Russian diplomat interviewed by the Reuters agency said that the transfer of military jets would raise the question of “NATO’s role in the conflict”, accusing the US of having subordinated the Group of Seven to its offensive strategies against the Kremlin.
Criticism – with prudence – of China
The other hot front opened up with China, even if the criticisms were later toned down to avoid a substantial break with Beijing. On the one hand, the G7 leaders have asked for a clearer role in the pressure on Russia, expressed concern about the maneuvers on Taiwan and contested the measures of “economic coercion” implemented by the Asian giant. On the other hand, the need to share a «derisking» strategy was insisted on: a reduction of the risk of tears to avoid the scenario of a «decoupling», a separation. The line was also reaffirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron: «We must reduce the risks on value chains, but without seeking a complete decoupling of our economies – said Macron – There is a will to have a relationship with China and we must find a balance”.
Climate crisis, the too vague agreements of the Seven
The main flop of the summit seems to have occurred, however, on the climate issue. According to the Financial Times, industry experts have criticized a final document that is too bland compared to the expected objectives of a complete farewell to fossil fuels and a switch to renewable sources. In particular, the communiqué signed by the leaders speaks of the commitment to achieve a “fully or mainly decarbonised” sector by 2035 and to “accelerate” the total farewell to polluting sources. The distinctions in the text (“mainly”) and the absence of clear deadlines for decarbonisation disappointed those who expected clearer constraints. Also according to what the Financial Times writes, it would have been above all Japan that held back on the terms of a complete ecological transition.