G7 foreign ministers gathered on the Italian island of Capri on Thursday, amid growing risks of a widening regional conflict in the Middle East and calls for increased support for Ukraine.
Among the issues discussed by the ministers were further sanctions against Iran following the attack on Israel, as well as efforts to prevent further escalation and to dissuade Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from a large-scale counter-offensive.
Additional military assistance to Ukraine is expected to be one of the main topics of the two-day meeting, including a discussion on improving Ukraine’s air defence.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba joined the meeting in the afternoon. According to Stoltenberg, Ukraine’s needs in this area are very urgent, but he added:
At the same time, I see some important encouraging signs when it comes to NATO Allies stepping up support for Ukraine.
Kuleba said he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday and discussed with him in detail efforts to get additional US-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles and missiles as soon as possible. Blinken said during the meeting:
But in this moment, it is urgent that all of the friends and supporters of Ukraine maximise their efforts to provide with – Ukraine what it needs to continue to effectively defend itself against this Russian aggression.
Kuleba also appealed to US lawmakers to quickly approve an additional aid package for Ukraine, which has been blocked for months by Republican opposition.
Blinken said he hoped the US House of Representatives would vote to approve the $61 billion package on Saturday.
The G7 is made up of Italy, the US, Canada, Britain, Germany, France and Japan. The European Union is also taking part in the meetings. The G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, like all such major diplomatic summits, is being held under tight security. More than 1,300 police and other security forces are stationed on an island in the Bay of Naples to protect the ministers.
