WASHINGTON: G7 finance ministers pledged Wednesday to take aim at those who are continuing to step up purchases of Russian oil, since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
In a statement after a virtual meeting, officials from the Group of Seven advanced economies — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — agreed that it is time to “maximize pressure on Russia’s oil exports.”
This would hit at revenue Moscow needs for the war.
“We will target those who are continuing to increase their purchase of Russian oil since the invasion of Ukraine and those that are facilitating circumvention,” the ministers said in a joint statement.
They added that they agreed on “the importance of trade measures, including tariffs” and import or export bans in efforts to cut off Russian revenues.
The countries are also giving “serious consideration to trade measures and other restrictions on countries and entities that are helping finance Russia’s war efforts, including on refined products sourced from Russian oil.”
The statement came after the United States indicated last month that it was ready to broaden tariffs targeting buyers of Russian oil if the European Union takes similar moves.
President Donald Trump, who dialed in to talks between the United States and EU officials, had raised the possibility of tariffs between 50 percent and 100 percent targeting oil buyers like China and India, according to an official.
In September, the European Commission also said that it was working on potentially imposing tariffs on imports of Russian oil into the bloc, in the face of pressure from Trump.
The US leader has demanded that Europe end energy imports from Moscow before agreeing to move forward with sanctions against Russia.
The G7 ministers plan to meet again on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington this month.
G7 ministers to target those increasing Russia oil purchases
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G7 ministers to target those increasing Russia oil purchases
- The US leader has demanded that Europe end energy imports from Moscow before agreeing to move forward with sanctions against Russia
WHO says one person dead from Nipah virus in Bangladesh
- Nipah is an infection that spreads mainly through products contaminated by infected bats, such as fruit
DHAKA: The World Health Organization said on Friday that a woman had died in northern Bangladesh in January after contracting the deadly Nipah virus infection.
The case in Bangladesh, where Nipah cases are reported almost every year, follows two Nipah virus cases identified in neighboring India, which has already prompted stepped-up airport screenings across Asia.
The patient in Bangladesh, aged between 40-50 years, developed symptoms consistent with Nipah virus on January 21, including fever and headache followed by hypersalivation, disorientation and convulsion, the WHO added.
She died a week later and was confirmed to be infected with the virus a day later.
The person had no travel history but had a history of consuming raw date palm sap. All 35 people who had contact with the patient are being monitored and have tested negative for the virus, and no further cases have been detected to date, the WHO said.
Nipah is an infection that spreads mainly through products contaminated by infected bats, such as fruit. It can be fatal in up to 75 percent of cases, but it does not spread easily between people.
Countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Pakistan implemented temperature screenings at airports after India said cases of the virus had been found in West Bengal.
The WHO said on Friday that the risk of international disease spread is considered low and that it does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions based on current information.
In 2025, four laboratory-confirmed fatal cases were reported in Bangladesh.
There are currently no licensed medicines or vaccines specific for the infection.
