Efforts to end wars in the Middle East and Ukraine will dominate this week’s meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers, host Italy’s top diplomat Antonio Tajani said.
Gathering on the picturesque island of Capri from April 17-19, the ministers from major Western powers will present a united front in
demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and a de-escalation of
tensions between Israel and Iran.
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The ministers from the United States, Italy, Germany, Japan, France, Britain and Canada will also reiterate full backing for Ukraine in its two-year war against a more powerful Russia.
“It is not easy in this moment. But I think diplomacy is crucial,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Reuters ahead of the three-day gathering that he will chair. “Our international position is very clear … We are united. This is crucial.”
But having a unified position has not been enough to bring peace either to Ukraine or the Middle East.
The Israelis have
resisted repeated calls to halt their Gaza offensive, while in Ukraine the
momentum on the battlefield has shifted in Russia’s favour, with the West seemingly incapable of providing Kyiv with the weaponry it desperately needs.
Tajani said it was crucial for Ukraine to keep the Russians at bay, adding that both the head of NATO Jens Stoltenberg and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba would be in Capri to discuss the conflict.
“If there is a defeat of Ukraine, it’s impossible to achieve an agreement. Defeat is not a good bridge for peace.
For this we need to back Ukraine. But the final goal is peace. Peace with justice. Justice, Russia, outside Ukraine,” Tajani said, speaking in English.
