G7 foreign ministers meet to talk Ukraine, Middle East

The meeting in Italy is taking place against the backdrop of renewed claims that a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah could be close. 

Israel's ambassador to the United States, Mike Herzog, told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that a deal between Israel and the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah could be reached "within days."

According to Herzog, there are still "points to finalize." He said any deal would require the government's agreement, but that "we are close to a deal" that can be sealed "within days."

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Monday announced a sanctions package targeting 30 ships in Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet."

"This morning I am announcing the biggest sanctions package of the Russian shadow fleet and it underlines the UK commitment to Ukraine," Lammy told reporters at the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Italy.

When pressed for more details Lammy said: "We are shadowing 30 Russian vessels. We are determined to ensure that both the ships, the enablers of those ships thwarting European and UK sanctions, are hurt at this time and that we ensure that the attempts to circumvent the sanctions that we put in place previously and of course to avoid Russia using its oil revenues to continue to fund its war - that we bear down on those issues."

Russia's "shadow fleet" are old, run-down tankers used to evade Western sanctions and fund the war in Ukraine.

The EU says Moscow has become increasingly dependent on these vessels to maintain oil exports.

Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said half of the ships hit by the latest sanctions transported more than $4.3 billion (€4.08 billion) of oil and oil products in the last 12 months.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is attending his scheduled final set of G7 talks ahead of a change of administration at the White House. 

Republican President-elect Donald Trump's team may substantially alter US foreign policy, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio as the nominee to take over the secretary of state role in the new administration. 

There are concerns that Trump and his team are set to dramatically alter US foreign policy, particularly on Ukraine. 

The G7, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, has been at the vanguard of channeling military and economic support to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. 

While Trump has criticized the billions of dollars that the Biden administration has sent to Ukraine, Washington has recently stepped up weapons shipments and written off loans provided to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, Trump appears to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender a large part of its sovereign territory that Russia now occupies.

On the Middle East, the incoming president has announced a number of officials who are seen as strongly pro-Israel. 

Trump has chosen former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who draws on his conservative Christian faith to support Israel, to serve as the next US ambassador to Israel.

Trump and Huckabee are expected to pursue a policy that strongly favors Israel over Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own.

Italy's Foreign Ministry says Ukraine and the Middle East will be key themes of the talks being held in the small town of Fiuggi, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) outside of Rome.

On the first day, the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers are set to discuss the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's military chief, as well as "the possible effects on the current crises in Lebanon and Gaza."

One of the sessions is set to include foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as the secretary-general of the Arab League, Rome said.

"We have asked for the presence of partners in the region to foster dialogue with the members of the G7," Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a statement.

"Only together can we find concrete solutions that can bring peace and stability to the region."

Talks will explore ending the war in Gaza and setting up a mechanism for governance and reconstruction once the fighting is over.

US officials hope to complete the formation of that structure before US President Joe Biden leaves office in January.

On the second day, attention is set to shift to Ukraine in the presence of Kyiv's foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga.

Officials are expected to discuss ways to continue supporting Kyiv, prospects for peace, as well as initiatives for future reconstruction.

Ministers are also expected to discuss ongoing crises in Haiti and Sudan, plus the political situation in Venezuela.

rc/wd (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)