Volodymyr Zelensky to attend G7 meet amid talks of penalties on Russia

G7 leaders during a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on Friday. Pic/AP

Leaders who came together for the G7 summit on Friday vowed to tighten punishments on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, days before President Volodymyr Zelensky joins the summit in person on Sunday.

"Our support for Ukraine will not waver," the G7 leaders said in a statement released after closed-door meetings, vowing "to stand together against Russia's illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war against Ukraine." They said Russia started this war and can end this war.

Zelensky will make his furthest trip from his country as leaders prepare to unveil new sanctions on Russia.

UK announces ban on Russian diamonds

In a fresh round of sanctions, the UK has announced a ban on Russian diamonds - an industry worth $4 billion in exports in 2021 - alongside the military-industrial complex and metals amid the ongoing Ukraine war. The ban has also been announced on imports of Russian-origin copper, aluminium and nickel, the UK government said in a statement on Thursday.

US to unveil new sanctions on Moscow

The US will unveil new sanctions to "extensively restrict Russia's access to goods that matter for its battlefield capabilities," a US official said on Friday. The US apparently plans to blacklist about 70 companies and organisations for selling restricted US products to Russia.

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