Canada proposes early G7 meeting to sanction Russia

On March 4, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that the Group of Seven (G-7) is discussing the possibility of holding a conference in the near future.

The G-7 became the G-8 in 1998 when Russia formally joined. Diplomats had previously said that one way for the international community to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine would be to hold a G-7 summit.

Unidentified gunmen blockaded the Belbek air base on the Crimean peninsula. (Photo: Getty Images)

Speaking before the Canadian Parliament, Prime Minister Harper stated: "I discussed this issue with President Obama over the weekend, I suggested and also know that there are discussions among senior G-7 officials about the possibility of holding a G-7 conference in the coming weeks."

Prime Minister Harper also announced that Canada had suspended all planned military activities with Russia, which included an annual exercise that last year saw Russia, Canada and the United States scramble fighter jets to intercept a hijacked commercial airliner."

In a related development, the White House called Russia's intercontinental ballistic missile launch on March 4 "routine" and said the US had been notified in advance by Russia about the launch./.

According to VNA