G7 nations vow continued support for Ukraine

Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy attends a meeting of G7 leaders via video link, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv on Dec. 12.

TOKYO/BERLIN (Jiji Press) — The Group of Seven major democracies reiterated their commitment Thursday to supporting Ukraine during its war against Russia.

The G7 finance ministers and central bank governors met virtually and confirmed the seven countries’ continued support for Ukraine.

“Throughout 2022 and looking ahead to the new year, our commitment to supporting Ukraine remains unwavering,” the G7 finance ministers said in a joint statement. “The G7 will continue to stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” they said.

The ministers also said that “for 2023, we have already mobilized up to $32 billion of budget and economic support for Ukraine and continue to make further progress.”

“As next year’s G7 chair, Japan hopes to fulfill its responsibility for a better future,” Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki told a press conference after the online gathering. “We want to deal with difficulties facing the global economy in cooperation with” other countries, he said, noting that Japan will work on challenges such as continuing to put pressure on Russia and tackling the energy and food crises as well as the debt issues in emerging and developing countries on a priority basis as the G7 chair.