G-7 poised to boost pressure on China over Russian support

Group of Seven allies are set to step up pressure on China while offering Kyiv “unwavering commitment” amid accusations that Beijing has increased support for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

The G-7 foreign ministers, who are meeting in Italy on Monday and Tuesday, are expected to vow “appropriate measures consistent with our legal systems, against actors in China and in other third countries” who are supporting Russia’s “war machine” in Ukraine, according to an early draft of the communique seen by Bloomberg.

Ukraine’s allies are seeking to crack down on countries aiding Moscow’s war effort, particularly before Donald Trump takes office in January. During his campaign, Trump expressed deep skepticism about U.S. support for Ukraine and has said he can end the war quickly.

The language on China, if adopted, would represent an escalation compared with the previous foreign ministerial meeting in April, when the club of nations called on China to “ensure” that it stops its support for Russia with dual-use weapons. North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies in July called China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The G-7 allies are also expected to “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 the ‘shadow fleet’.”

The new measures would seek to curb the use of a covert fleet of tankers Russia has assembled to get around a price cap and restrictions that target Russia’s ability to get its oil to market.

Communiques are often changed before the final version is published and tweaks could still be made to the wording.

The European Union’s foreign affairs ministers discussed the issue last week and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that China’s assistance for Russia “will and must have consequences.”

The latest conversations on China’s role come after Bloomberg reported in July that Chinese and Russian companies are developing an attack drone similar to an Iranian model deployed in Ukraine. This raised fears that Beijing may be edging closer to providing the sort of lethal aid that western officials have warned against.

The U.S. approved the use of long-range weapons against Russia, while Moscow launched a “new” kind of ballistic missile at Ukraine last week.

Another section of the draft condemns North Korea’s deployment of its soldiers in Ukraine and calls for de-escalation in the Middle East. The use of North Korean soldiers “marks a dangerous expansion of the conflict,” according to the draft, which also raises concerns about the transfer of nuclear technology to North Korea.

While the U.S. has approved the use of long-range weapons against Russia, diplomats with knowledge of the negotiations said there was likely not going to be any such consensus in the final communique as some nations, for example Italy, do not support this stance and have repeatedly said the weapons they provide should only be used defensively.