Foreign ministers from the seven largest world powers (G7) begin meeting on the Italian island of Capri this Wednesday (17) for three days of talks overshadowed by expectations of Israeli retaliation against Iran for missile and drone attacks.
The continued escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine will dominate the agenda of ministers from the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan.
Italy, which holds the rotating presidency of the G7, is pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza and a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, but Israel appears very likely to retaliate against Iran's weekend attacks despite Western calls for containment.
“In a context of strong international tensions, the G7 led by Italy has the task of working for peace,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement.
G7 nations pledged support for Israel following the attack, which came in response to a suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran's embassy complex in Damascus on April 1 that killed two generals and several other Iranian officials.
The US said on Tuesday it plans to impose new sanctions on Tehran's missile and drone program in the coming days and expects its allies to follow suit. Tajani told Reuters this week that any sanctions could only focus on individuals.
The Iranian missiles and drones launched on Saturday were shot down mainly by Israel and its allies, and caused no deaths. But Israel says it must retaliate to preserve the credibility of its deterrents. Iran says it considers the matter closed for now, but will retaliate again if Israel does so.
War in Ukraine
Russia's invasion of Ukraine will also be a major topic in Capri, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg scheduled to participate in the talks on Thursday (18).
Germany said on Wednesday that G7 ministers will discuss how to get more air defenses for Ukraine as Kiev faces increasing pressure from Russia's relentless airstrikes on its energy grid.
Another key issue will be how to use profits from around $300 billion of Russian sovereign assets held in the West to help Ukraine, amid hesitation among some European Union member states over the legality of such a move.
The opening session of Wednesday night's meeting will focus on Gaza and Iran, with the situation in the Red Sea coming under scrutiny on Thursday morning. Before turning to Ukraine, ministers will look for ways to strengthen ties with Africa.
G7 ministers will also discuss stability in the Indo-Pacific region, Italy said, and hold debates on issues such as infrastructure connectivity, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the fight against fake news.
Source: CNN Brasil
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