G7 Backs More Aid, Weapons to Ukraine in Show of Unity against Russia

Foreign ministers from the G7 meet at the Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus. (dpa via AP)
Foreign ministers from the G7 meet at the Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus. (dpa via AP)
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G7 Backs More Aid, Weapons to Ukraine in Show of Unity against Russia

Foreign ministers from the G7 meet at the Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus. (dpa via AP)
Foreign ministers from the G7 meet at the Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus. (dpa via AP)

Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations backed giving more aid and weapons to Ukraine as they met on Friday in what Germany called a "powerful sign of unity" to deepen Russia's global isolation for invading its neighbor.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced a further 500 million euros worth of military support that should be approved next week by EU members, and expressed confidence that the bloc will agree an embargo on Russian oil.

British Foreign Minister Liz Truss announced new sanctions targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin's financial network and inner circle, including his ex-wife and cousins, and also called for ramping up weapons supplies to Ukraine.

The annual meeting running until Saturday brings together top diplomats from Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United States and the EU to a 400-year-old castle estate in the Baltic Sea resort of Weissenhaus.

It follows promises by G7 leaders last weekend to ban or phase out buying Russian oil.

The event, which the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Moldova attended, also spotlighted food security concerns and fears that the war in Ukraine could spill over into its smaller neighbor Moldova.

Moldova's foreign minister told Reuters in an interview that some forces in the breakaway region of Transdniestria were bent on sowing instability but that his government wanted to solve the issue through diplomacy.

The G7 talks will defy Russian attempts to split the world over Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.

"Never since the end of the Cold War have we G7 partners been more profoundly challenged. Never before have we stood more united," she said on Twitter.

Putin had no intention of stopping the war, Borrell said, adding that the new EU military support would be for heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery and take the bloc's aid to about 2 billion euros.

"(It will be) more pressure on Russia with economic sanctions and continuing the international isolation of Russia and countering misinformation," he said.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the meeting, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba challenged the EU to impose the oil embargo, saying Putin would celebrate if the proposal fell through. Ukraine's neighbor Hungary has opposed the plan, which requires unanimity to pass.

"We do not interfere in their discussion, but it's a critical moment when we will see whether EU unity will continue to exist or whether it will be broken," he said.

Kuleba called on allies to seize Russian assets to finance the rebuilding of Ukraine, a proposal backed by Germany's Finance Minister Christian Lindner in an interview published by Germany weekly Der Spiegel on Friday.

Germany this weekend separately will host ministers from NATO, as Sweden and Finland gear up to apply for membership of the transatlantic alliance, drawing threats of retaliation from Moscow and objections from NATO member Turkey.

Moldova alarm
The war in Ukraine has sent global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertilizer soaring, with United Nations agencies warning that the price hikes will worsen a food crisis in Africa in particular.

Russia's invasion has disrupted shipping in the Black Sea, a major route for grains and other commodities, throttling exports.

Diplomatic sources said the aim was for the seven countries to organize themselves better to find quick and efficient answers to the food crisis. With Russia blockading Ukrainian ports, efforts will likely center on speeding up shipments of produce on goods trains to the rest of Europe.

Moldova is struggling to cope with the refugee flow from Ukraine and incidents involving pro-Russian separatists in Transdniestria have raised alarm.

"They are limited, but want to play games stoking up tensions, provoking, (making) the population of Transdniestria hysterical and making nervous the population of Moldova," Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu said.

"There are internal forces that want to destabilize this region and bring war closer to our homes. We are working to make sure this is not happening."



France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
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France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)

France accused Iran on Monday of "repression and intimidation" after a court handed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi a new six-year prison sentence on charges of harming national security.

Mohammadi, sentenced Saturday, was also handed a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for "propaganda" against Iran's system, according to her foundation.

"With this sentence, the Iranian regime has, once again, chosen repression and intimidation," the French foreign ministry said in a statement, describing the 53-year-old as a "tireless defender" of human rights.

Paris is calling for the release of the activist, who was arrested before protests erupted nationwide in December after speaking out against the government at a funeral ceremony.

The movement peaked in January as authorities launched a crackdown that activists say has left thousands dead.

Over the past quarter-century, Mohammadi has been repeatedly tried and jailed for her vocal campaigning against Iran's use of capital punishment and the mandatory dress code for women.

Mohammadi has spent much of the past decade behind bars and has not seen her twin children, who live in Paris, since 2015.

Iranian authorities have arrested more than 50,000 people as part of their crackdown on protests, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).


Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
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Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Monday called on his compatriots to show "resolve" ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution this week.

Since the revolution, "foreign powers have always sought to restore the previous situation", Ali Khamenei said, referring to the period when Iran was under the rule of shah Reza Pahlavi and dependent on the United States, AFP reported.

"National power is less about missiles and aircraft and more about the will and steadfastness of the people," the leader said, adding: "Show it again and frustrate the enemy."


UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
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UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's director of communications Tim Allan resigned on Monday, a day after Starmer's top aide Morgan McSweeney quit over his role in backing Peter Mandelson over his known links to Jeffrey Epstein.

The loss of two senior aides ⁠in quick succession comes as Starmer tries to draw a line under the crisis in his government resulting from his appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the ⁠US.

"I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success," Allan said in a statement on Monday.

Allan served as an adviser to Tony Blair from ⁠1992 to 1998 and went on to found and lead one of the country’s foremost public affairs consultancies in 2001. In September 2025, he was appointed executive director of communications at Downing Street.