The Albany Gazette - G7 foreign ministers seek to boost Ukraine war effort

Ukraine's top diplomat Andriy Sybiha -- who was invited to the Group of Seven talks near the famed Niagara Falls -- said the meeting needed to focus in part on boosting Kyiv's "long-range capabilities."

Russian President Vladimir Putin "still has an illusion that he can win," Sybiha said alongside his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand.

"In reality, he has lost over one million soldiers and has not achieved a single strategic goal," he said, adding, "We must make the cost of continuing this war unbearable and dangerous for Putin personally and his regime."

Ahead of the G7 meeting on Ukraine, Anand announced new sanctions on entities that Canada says are used to launch cyberattacks on Ukraine.

Vessels that are part of Russia's so-called shadow fleet -- ships allegedly used to transport Russian oil in defiance of global sanctions -- were also targeted.

"Canada will continue to ensure that Russia's actions do not go unpunished," Anand told reporters.

She said the sanctions were the first on the "IT infrastructure used in Russia's hybrid strategies against Ukraine."

Companies involved in Russia's liquefied natural gas industry were also on the sanctions list.

As the talks opened on Tuesday, the UK announced £13 million ($17.1 million) of funding to help repair Ukraine's energy sector, which has sustained massive Russian attacks in recent days.

Britain also announced a maritime services ban on Russian liquefied natural gas.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness and the cold as winter approaches."

- Caribbean 'instability' -

On Tuesday evening, the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States held a working dinner centered on global security.

Before they met, France's Jean-Noel Barrot delivered a stark warning about the potential consequences of the US military buildup in the Caribbean, which President Donald Trump's administration says is aimed at countering the illegal global drug trade.

"We have observed, with concern, military operations in the Caribbean region because they disregard international law," Barrot told reporters, hours after a US aircraft carrier strike group entered an area under control of the US Naval Forces Southern Command, which encompasses Latin America and the Caribbean.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the Trump administration of "fabricating a war" while pursuing a regime change plot.

Barrot said it was essential for the G7 club of industrialized democracies to "work in concert" to confront the global narcotics trade.

"Instability caused by potential escalations" could impact more than a million French citizens living in the Caribbean, he said.

- US-Canada friction -

In addition to the G7 grouping, representatives from India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and India were also at the Niagara talks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was holding a series of brief bilateral talks with various countries, including a scheduled session with Anand.

Trump's trade war has strained bilateral relations, with tariffs on key Canadian industries like auto, steel and aluminum forcing job losses and dampening growth.

But Anand has said that she did not intend to press the trade tensions directly with Rubio.

"We will have a meeting and have many topics to discuss concerning global affairs," Anand told AFP.

"The trade issue is being dealt with by other ministers."

(F.Jackson--TAG)