Does G7 not dare to introduce sanctions on Russia?

The G7 group of nations has failed to reach agreement in Italy’s city of Lucca over new sanctions against Russia and Syria, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.

The topic of the anti-Russian sanctions was not raised at all at the meeting, Bloomberg reported.

According to Ayrault, G7 foreign ministers have insisted there can be no peace solution in Syria with Assad in power. The minister also called for ensuring the ceasefire in Syria, Reuters writes.

The joint communique following the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers says that Russia is an important international player. "There are regional crises and global challenges that cannot be solved without cooperation with Russia. We recognize that we have common interests with Russia in several areas, including countering terrorism and violent extremism in full respect of international law, confronting migration problems, fighting proliferation and finding answers to urgent environmental questions," it says.

"Russia has the potential to help resolve the conflict and restore a stable and unified Syria, and defeat ISIL and terrorism," the joint communique says.

At the same time the statement notes that G7 is ready to continue using unilateral restrictive measures to return Russia to the rules-based international security order.

"It is our mutual interest that Russia returns to the rules-based international security order and again becomes a cooperative partner. Upholding the principles of this order, we continue to use a wide array of foreign policy instruments, including restrictive measures," the G7 foreign ministers said.

The Director of the Institute of Strategic Planning and Forecasting, Professor Alexander Gusev said, speaking to Vestnik Kavkaza, that such result of the meeting is explained by lack of unanimity on Russia in G7 countries. According to him, G6 does not want to go by the United States. "Washington, in fact, will act in the same vein as in the days of Barack Obama. And we should not forget about the position of Trump and Tillerson who said yesterday that, most likely, not only the previous ones will be extended, but additional sanctions against Russia will be introduced due to the situation in Syria," the expert recalled.

Speaking about the other participants of G7, Gusev noted Japan, which will torpedo initiatives on sanctions against Russia. "Moscow offered Tokyo a whole package of relations within the Kuril Islands. The Japanese leadership is considering it now, which means that at least Japan will insist that sanctions against our country be lifted," the Director of the Institute of Strategic Planning and Forecasting noted.

Nevertheless, the expert warned that despite the fact that common sense prevailed in Tokyo, most likely that the other members of G7, the strategic partners of the United States, will eventually achieve new anti-Russian sanctions.

Commenting on Rex Tillerson's visit to Moscow, Gusev described it as purely technical.

"Tillerson is not John Kerry, who overshadowed even Barack Obama. Of course, he probably will bring some proposals from Donald Trump, but these proposals will be of a technological nature, and certainly not breakthrough, although now the Russian-US relations need a breakthrough," Alexander Gusev concluded.