Published on 13/03/2026 – 21:51 GMT+1•Updated
22:21

German Chancellor Frederich Merz said on Friday that six out of seven G7 countries were against the US’ decision to give Russia a reprieve from oil sanctions. US President Donald Trump carried out the move in order to boost global supply amid soaring prices, which came as a consequence the US-Israeli war that was launched against Iran on 28 February.

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The leaders of Germany, Canada and Norway – all NATO member states – said they would use their channels of communication with the White House to try and change Trump’s mind.

The trio reiterated the alliance’s stance that maximum pressure still needs to be applied on the Kremlin over its war in Ukraine and its wider threat to global security.

“Six out of seven were clearly of the opinion that we should not release the sanctions against Russia”, said Merz.

“We were a little bit surprised when we heard this morning that the American government decided differently,” he told reporters at a press conference in Norway.

The three leaders agreed that maximum pressure should continue to be applied on the Kremlin over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and urged that Russia should not benefit from a reintroduction to global oil markets.

The decision “should be not the case because Russia is benefitting from that”, insisted Merz.

“We should put more pressure on Russia to bring this terrible war to an end as soon as possible, and that’s the reason why we are having a different view on this decision which was taken in [Washington] DC last night”, he said.

Asked at the press conference if G7 countries or NATO would lobby Trump to revise his decision, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said “we all have direct lines to the president, and we’ll use them.”

Merz said he would speak to French President Macron to see if they can find a way around Trump’s plan: “We will have the opportunity to speak with each other over the weekend. And we will check what we can do.”

Arctic Sentry military exercise

The trio were on an official visit to witness NATO’s Arctic Sentry military exercise, which was agreed last January as part of the resolution to Trump’s claim he would “take” Greenland.

The alliance agreed to increase NATO’s presence in the region after Trump insisted it did not possess sufficient security architecture.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius also attended the military display, which consisted of several German Leopard Tanks and Norwegian Infantry Fighting Vehicles.

Pistorius told Euronews he is “much concerned” regarding the impact on the war in Ukraine if Russia regains access to oil revenue which could give it a significant advantage in sustaining its costly invasion.

“The only thing at the end to really force Putin at the negotiation table is to make clear that his revenues out of export of oil and gas will find an end,” he said.

“This is the opposite of that. It’s just a real disadvantage [for Ukraine],” he added.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin welcomed the move by the White House, saying US and Russian interests are aligned on the issue. “We see actions by the US as an attempt to stabilise energy markets. In this regard, our interests align,” said Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

“We heard statements of US representatives that this exception has been indeed made now for oil already loaded before 12 March”, Peskov said.

Video editor • Shona Murray

JERUSALEM: Israel’s Squadron 200, also known as the first Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Squadron, has played a crucial role in destroying more than half of the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile launchers as the 14th day of the war unfolds across the Middle East.

Fox News Digital gained access to one of Israel’s most experienced and veteran UAV operators from Squadron 200. “I have been flying drones for the past 25 years, and other operational missions have prepared me for this war,” said the IDF Squadron leader.

He summed up the highly sensitive nature of his work in protecting the Israeli civilian population. “Every night that my wife and my kids sleep a full night without an alarm is something I can give credit to the air force and drone operators.” Israel’s technology system warns Israelis with mobile phone messages and wailing public alarms that provide an advanced notice of incoming Iranian missiles and drones.

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The IDF drone commander said the main goal of his squadron is to “find rocket launchers and surface-to-air missiles that are a risk to our pilots who fly over and destroy them before they launch missiles and gain air superiority for the area and reduce the risk for civilians back at home.”

He added that “We can take a lot of credit for the reduction” in Iranian missiles and drones fired at Israel.

The stakes are high for the UAV operators. Iran’s aerial warfare campaign has led to the deaths of 12 Israelis and over 2,975 people have been admitted to Israeli hospitals. 

An IDF spokesman told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that Iran has launched “many dozens of missiles with cluster bomb heads spread across Israel.”  The cluster munitions are particularly lethal because they murder or severely injure with scattered bomblets that can also stay active long after their launch.

Just days ago, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the Israeli military spokesman, told Fox News Digital that the army has had a “near complete success” rate in stopping Iranian drones from hitting Israeli targets. 

However, the drone commander warned that the “great decrease in the number of launchers does not mean we can sit and rest.”

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The IDF drone commander said, “one thing we learned from October 7 is that we should eliminate risks before they become too big.”

“The important thing is the goal of bringing peace to the Middle East,” he said with reference to when Iran and Israel had cordial relations before the 1979 Islamic Republic revolution in Iran and President Trump’s advocacy for peace in the region.

The complex running of a drone team was described as “orchestra” work, by the UAV operator, where a 3-person crew — commander, pilot and operator — seamlessly coordinate their various activities.

According to the IDF, Squadron 200 operates the Heron-1 (“Shoval”) UAV, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, which is used for intelligence gathering, surveillance, support of ground forces and precision strike missions.”

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The IDF said that the air force’s drones “are capable of remaining airborne for extended periods and providing real-time intelligence to forces on the ground, both day and night and over long distances.

The squadron was established in the 1970s as part of the development of the Israeli Air Force’s UAV array and has since participated in numerous operations across different arenas.”