G7 leaders speak with Ukraine's Zelenskiy, agree to Russian diamond ban

Summit leaders appear on a TV screen during a video conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, December 6, 2023. YOAN VALAT/Pool via REUTERS

TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries met virtually on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a show of solidarity and agreed to a new ban on Russian diamonds.

Under the new measures, the countries will ban non-industrial diamonds from Russia by January and Russian diamonds sold by third countries from March, according to a joint statement released after the meeting.