The US and its G7 partners have warned Moscow that they can expand sanctions and use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, as Donald Trump seeks to win against Vladimir Putin for his own ceasefire proposal.
After a week in which Kyiv was signed on the 30-day ceasefire, but Moscow signed reluctant to do so immediately, State Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterparts reached a degree of unity on Friday, issuing a joint statement about possible steps against Russia.
Their communiqué, issued after a G7 meeting in Canada, noted that foreign ministers discussed the imposition of further sentences if the Kremlin would not fully implement a ceasefire.
Asked about the sanctions of us, Rubio warned that Trump “does not want to do it now because he is in the hope of attracting people from both sides in a process where we can negotiate peace.”
He added that it was not clear if Russia was playing for the time.
“The question is, are we actually moving towards the ceasefire, or is this a delay tactic?” Said the Secretary of State. “I won’t answer that because I can’t characterize it for you now.”
G7’s statement said the ministers had discussed possible measures against Moscow, such as “lids on oil prices, as well as additional support for Ukraine, and other tools”, especially using income from Russian frozen assets.
The G7 raised about € 300 billion at the Central Bank of Russian Assets-Mostly before and Government Bonds-in 2022 after the full-scale occupation of Moscow in Ukraine.
On Saturday, UK Prime Minister Sir Starmer will encourage leaders from about 25 countries to a “will coalition” to stay ready to monitor any ceasefire in Ukraine, while also discussing how to increase sanctions if Putin does not agree with an agreement. Downing Street confirmed that the capture of Russia’s frozen assets was “on the table”.
He acknowledged that the capture of such assets – compared to the use of the interest they accumulate from them to support Ukraine as it currently does – was “a complex situation”, but added: “All options are being viewed.”
France and Germany, which have long opposed a full confiscation of EU assets, are warming for the idea and discussing with the United Kingdom and the others they can be used.
“We cannot allow President Putin to play games with President Trump’s deal,” Starmer said, as he prepared to host a video call with European countries’ leaders along with Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
“If Russia finally comes to the table, then we must be ready to monitor a ceasefire to ensure that it is a serious and sustainable peace. If they do not do so, then we must strain any sinus to increase economic pressure on Russia to ensure the end of this war.”
The video call on Saturday morning continues from the personal meeting of the leaders from the Lancaster House’s “Will Coalition” in London two weeks ago.
Britain had hoped that Japan Prime Minister Shigeru IIBA would participate, but Starmer’s aides Friday said he would not be in line. “We’re still talking,” said a UK official.
Rubio, who has previously shown that this will have to make territorial omissions, on Friday signaled that Moscow will also have to do so. “I’ve never heard that President Trump says Russia has the right to take all of Ukraine and do everything they want there,” he said.
He added that Trump’s national security team will meet this weekend after President Steve Witkoff’s envoys return from Moscow to examine the Russian position.
Trump said in a post on his social network of truth that the discussions of last day with Putin had been “good and productive”.
By this week, the new administration has focused on pressuring Kyiv to agree on a rapid end of war, but suspicions expressed by Putin about immediate ceasefire have shifted Moscow’s attention.
“The ball is now in the Russian court when it comes to Ukraine,” Canada Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said on Friday, adding that there was “strong G7 unity” in Ukraine.
One official said the communication text in Ukraine had been subject to tense overnight quarrels. SH.BA argued that strong language could disrupt talks with Russia and it was wet to reach an agreement, they said.
Kyiv and her allies in Britain and France have been inclined to overcome a catastrophic meeting last month between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy by placing measures against Russia again on the US agenda.
Zelenskyy’s government agreed on Trump’s proposal this week after the US had suspended military aid and sharing intelligence with KYIV – both of Washington now says it has resumed.
Otherwise, Putin said he supported a ceasefire, but added that the “issues” remained to be discussed first.
His dissatisfaction with supporting the ceasefire proposal comes as Russian forces have made significant advances in the Kursk region, where Ukraine captured more than 1,000 square kilometers from Russia last summer.
In his truth, Trump’s social post claimed that the Russian army had surrounded thousands of Ukrainian troops, adding that “I have strongly asked President Putin to save their lives”.
Ukraine’s general staff denied that Ukraine’s troops were surrounded and said the fighting was still ongoing.
Putin said on Friday that Ukrainian troops in Kursk must surrender “to carry out the Trump’s appeal” while Zelenskyy rejected Moscow’s stay in a ceasefire as a stinging tactic.
“The devil is in detail and they will start offering details to attract you to a dialogue, delay certain processes and postpone the end of the war,” the Ukrainian president said. He added that he hoped for a “strong reaction” from Trump in Putin’s position.
Zelenskyy also said the issue of Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces would be “the most difficult” to be resolved.
Ceasefire and territories “are the most difficult moments (of a negotiation),” he said. “The first is difficult because it requires political courage and will, the second because it requires a difficult dialogue.”
Additional Max Seddon reporting to Berlin
