G7 nations considering near-total ban on exports to Russia -Kyodo

FILE PHOTO: British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, and Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora pose for photographs at the start of the fifth working session of a G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Prince Karuizawa hotel in Karuizawa on April 18, 2023. YUICHI YAMAZAKI/Pool via REUTERS

The Group of Seven (G7) countries are considering a near-total ban on exports to Russia, Kyodo news agency reported on Friday, citing Japanese government sources.

Bloomberg news on Thursday also reported that the United States and Ukraine's allies were considering "an outright ban on most exports to Russia". That report said officials from G7 nations were discussing the idea before a summit meeting in Japan next month.

Asked about the Bloomberg report, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said the government was aware of it but refrained from commenting on exchanges among G7 countries and like-minded nations about possible further sanctions against Russia.

FILE PHOTO: Japan's new Chief of Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu announces new cabinet members at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan October 4, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

"What is important for ending Russian aggression as soon as possible is that G7 remains united for severe sanctions against Russia and strong support for Ukraine," he told a press briefing.

(Reporting by Tokyo Newsroom; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Muralikumar Anantharaman)