G7 Leaders Agree to Maintain Sanctions on Russia, Fight Protectionism

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) leading global economies vowed to fight against trade protectionism and expressed a readiness to impose further sanctions on Russia, but they failed to settle a disagreement with US President Donald Trump on climate change. A final communique issued on May 27 after a two-day summit in the resort town of Taormina, Sicily, said Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan reaffirmed their ‘strong commitment’ to the implementation of the 2015 Paris climate change agreement.The G7 leaders also expressed readiness to take additional action against Russia, if warranted, for its intervention in Ukraine. Russian media reported that on trade policy, they agreed to ‘fight protectionism’ and backed the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as enforcer of global trade rules.