Japan to chair G-7 finance chiefs' meeting on Thurs.: minister

Japan will host a meeting of finance chiefs from the Group of Seven nations on Thursday to discuss their response to Russia's war in Ukraine, including sanctions, on the fringes of a broader Group of 20 gathering in India, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Tuesday.

Suzuki will chair the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors as Japan holds the G-7 presidency this year. It comes ahead of the one-year anniversary of the start of Russia's aggression in Ukraine that has led to a slew of sanctions on Moscow imposed by the member nations.

"We'd like to reaffirm G-7 solidarity in supporting Ukraine and maintaining our pressure on Russia and discuss the impact (of the war) on the global economy," Suzuki told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.

The G-7 leaders are also scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, which marks one year since Russia launched its invasion of the country, after he was invited by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to join.

The G-7 groups Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the United States plus the European Union.

Suzuki will travel to Bengaluru in southern India to meet with his G-20 counterparts who will hold substantive talks on Friday and Saturday. Russia is a member of the G-20.

© Kyodo News