G7 top diplomats vow support for Ukraine, warn Russia against aggression

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven and the EU High Representative issued a powerful joint statement in support of Ukraine amid Russian military buildup near Ukraine’s borders.

The statement was published on the website of the European External Action Service on Sunday, December 12.

"We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, are united in our condemnation of Russia's military build-up and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine. We call on Russia to de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities as President Biden did in his call with President Putin on 7 December," the statement said.

The Ministers reaffirmed their support for the efforts of France and Germany in the Normandy format to achieve full implementation of the Minsk Agreements to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"Any use of force to change borders is strictly prohibited under international law. Russia should be in no doubt that further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe cost in response," the ministers stressed.

G7 and EU reaffirmed their "unwavering commitment" to upholding Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the right of any sovereign state to determine its own future.

"We commend Ukraine’s posture of restraint. We will intensify our cooperation on our common and comprehensive response," said the G7 top diplomats.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, a two-day meeting of G7 foreign ministers was held late last week in Liverpool, UK.

A joint response to Russia's aggression around Ukraine was one of the main issues on the ministerial’s agenda.

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