
G7 summit in Canada to see how EU, US align on Russia sanctions, says German official
BERLIN, June 12 (Reuters) - The upcoming Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Canada will be about the extent to which the EU and U.S. align on sanctions against Russia, a German government official said on Thursday.
"In many respects, the G7 summit is also a milestone as far as Ukraine is concerned," said the official, adding that it was important to keep the United States engaged and move the sanctions debate "a little bit further" in the right direction.
On continued military and financial support for Ukraine, the official said realism was needed.
"If we maintain the status quo, that the Americans continue to provide certain very important services to Ukraine, then we are doing well," added the official.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Liverpool are not done yet! Premier League champions set to take their summer spree beyond £200m after agreeing £116m fee for Florian Wirtz
Liverpool are set to take their summer spending spree past £200million after agreeing a record-breaking deal to sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. The Germany star will complete a switch to the Premier League champions for a club-record £100m, which could rise to a British-record £116m, after turning down Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. The Reds will now look to sign £45m-rated Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez. It is understood they are in direct contact with the Cherries and will try to negotiate a lower fee. They are also targeting a No 9 or defender if they can balance the books with outgoings. Attacking midfielder Wirtz, 22, is on holiday and expected to have a medical in England when that finishes. He has held talks with Arne Slot, who has outlined a vision to him over playing in the No 10 role, although he can play wide, deeper in midfield and as a striker.


North Wales Chronicle
6 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Starmer and Trump call for ‘diplomacy and dialogue' in Israel and Iran conflict
The two leaders spoke on Friday evening, as western nations began a diplomatic flurry to calm the burgeoning conflict, which started with early morning Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear bases. Sir Keir earlier urged his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to de-escalate and work towards a 'diplomatic resolution'. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, meanwhile warned the Middle East is facing a 'moment of grave peril', after he spoke to Iran's foreign minister and called for calm. Earlier calls from the PM, as well as France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, for restraint appeared fruitless, as a fresh wave of strikes hit Tehran and other targets across Iran on Friday evening. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, vowed revenge, and his country launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in a retaliatory attack. Air raid sirens were sounded across Israel and its citizens were ordered to move into bomb shelters, while plumes of smoke could be seen rising in central Tel Aviv. In London, the Prime Minister convened a Cobra meeting of high level ministers and officials to discuss the situation in the Middle East. Warren Stephens, the US ambassador to the UK, was also seen outside the Cabinet Office in Whitehall after the meeting on Friday afternoon. A Downing Street spokeswoman said Sir Keir and Mr Trump 'discussed the military action in the Middle East overnight and agreed on the importance of diplomacy and dialogue' when they spoke on the phone. She added: 'Updating on his conversations with partners today, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK's grave concerns about Iran's nuclear programmes. 'The leaders looked forward to speaking again at the G7 in Canada next week.' Both the UK and the US have insisted they were not involved in the Israeli strikes and that Israel acted unilaterally. Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy would not say whether the Government had been forewarned of the action. Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's ambassador to the UK told Sky News the first time the her country discussed the strikes with the UK was at midday on Friday. She also told the broadcaster: 'The aim is to make sure Iran won't have nuclear capabilities. This is why all our targets are military targets. This is why we're attacking the nuclear sites. 'This is not a plan that was created in one night. This is a plan being created in many years from understanding the levels of danger.' Among the sites hit by Israel's strikes are several of Iran's main nuclear sites, as well as missile factories. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was also reportedly killed in the initial attacks. Mr Netanyahu addressed people of Iran in a video on Friday night, insisting his quarrel was with the Iranian ruling regime. 'In the past 24 hours, we have taken out top military commanders, senior nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime's most significant enrichment facility and a large portion of its ballistic missile arsenal,' he said. 'More is on the way' in Israel's operation, the Israeli PM added. Tensions between Israel, the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks, amid negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal, which is aimed at preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons. Mr Trump had suggested some sort of attack by America or the Israelis could happen if negotiators failed to reach a deal over the advancing nuclear programme.


South Wales Guardian
6 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Starmer and Trump call for ‘diplomacy and dialogue' in Israel and Iran conflict
The two leaders spoke on Friday evening, as western nations began a diplomatic flurry to calm the burgeoning conflict, which started with early morning Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear bases. Sir Keir earlier urged his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to de-escalate and work towards a 'diplomatic resolution'. David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, meanwhile warned the Middle East is facing a 'moment of grave peril', after he spoke to Iran's foreign minister and called for calm. Earlier calls from the PM, as well as France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, for restraint appeared fruitless, as a fresh wave of strikes hit Tehran and other targets across Iran on Friday evening. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, vowed revenge, and his country launched hundreds of ballistic missiles at Israel in a retaliatory attack. Air raid sirens were sounded across Israel and its citizens were ordered to move into bomb shelters, while plumes of smoke could be seen rising in central Tel Aviv. In London, the Prime Minister convened a Cobra meeting of high level ministers and officials to discuss the situation in the Middle East. Warren Stephens, the US ambassador to the UK, was also seen outside the Cabinet Office in Whitehall after the meeting on Friday afternoon. A Downing Street spokeswoman said Sir Keir and Mr Trump 'discussed the military action in the Middle East overnight and agreed on the importance of diplomacy and dialogue' when they spoke on the phone. She added: 'Updating on his conversations with partners today, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK's grave concerns about Iran's nuclear programmes. 'The leaders looked forward to speaking again at the G7 in Canada next week.' Both the UK and the US have insisted they were not involved in the Israeli strikes and that Israel acted unilaterally. Foreign Secretary Mr Lammy would not say whether the Government had been forewarned of the action. Tzipi Hotovely, Israel's ambassador to the UK told Sky News the first time the her country discussed the strikes with the UK was at midday on Friday. She also told the broadcaster: 'The aim is to make sure Iran won't have nuclear capabilities. This is why all our targets are military targets. This is why we're attacking the nuclear sites. 'This is not a plan that was created in one night. This is a plan being created in many years from understanding the levels of danger.' Among the sites hit by Israel's strikes are several of Iran's main nuclear sites, as well as missile factories. Hossein Salami, the leader of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was also reportedly killed in the initial attacks. Mr Netanyahu addressed people of Iran in a video on Friday night, insisting his quarrel was with the Iranian ruling regime. 'In the past 24 hours, we have taken out top military commanders, senior nuclear scientists, the Islamic regime's most significant enrichment facility and a large portion of its ballistic missile arsenal,' he said. 'More is on the way' in Israel's operation, the Israeli PM added. Tensions between Israel, the US and Iran have escalated in recent weeks, amid negotiations over the Iran nuclear deal, which is aimed at preventing the country from developing nuclear weapons. Mr Trump had suggested some sort of attack by America or the Israelis could happen if negotiators failed to reach a deal over the advancing nuclear programme.