Leaders of the bloc revealed a raft of fresh initiatives but also took a veiled swipe at China in their truncated summit on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Hiroshima.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, German leader Olaf Scholz and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A final communique released by G7 leaders a day ahead of the summit’s conclusion called on Beijing to adhere to international norms, including addressing “nonmarket policies and practices.”
Few other details of the leaders’ visit have been disclosed, possibly out of consideration for sensitivities among the U.S. and the other G7 nuclear powers.
The visit to the atomic-bombed city would be rich in symbolism amid Russian nuclear saber-rattling in the bloody war against its neighbor.
The U.S. said the leaders would hold their summit in Hiroshima to ensure that the four leaders could come together to mark the Quad’s progress over the past year.
Measures include further restrictions on Russia’s access to G7 economies and the beefing up of export bans “across all our jurisdictions” on “all items critical to Russia’s aggression.”
The group aims to close off evasion loopholes, reduce the reliance on Russian energy and keep key assets frozen until the war is halted.
A senior Japanese official said the leaders held substantive talks on a range of issues, from defense and economic security coordination to their response to the war in Ukraine.
Discussions on the issue will come at a crucial time for the G7 grouping itself, which has struggled to define its purpose and goals in recent years, as well as for the host country.
