The United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and Japan – G7 countries – reaffirmed their support for Ukraine at a meeting that took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, which began in Germany on Friday and will continue this Sunday. ends. .
G7 chiefs of diplomacy reiterated their intention to continue to intensify sanctions against Moscow and against states materially supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine, said the minister of Japan, the country that currently assumes the presidency of the bloc of the seven largest economies. worldwide.
The G7 countries expect third countries – in a roundabout reference to China – to “circumvent these measures”, urging them to “stop aid to the Russian army and allied forces, or face high cost”.
Nearly a year after the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, G7 ministers declared their willingness to continue to support Kiev “for as long as necessary” and indicated that they would work with Volodymyr Zelensky’s government to “create a just and sustainable “.
They also stressed that Russia must “immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops and equipment” from Ukraine and respect its territorial integrity, in accordance with United Nations principles.
The G7 countries condemned the attacks by Russian forces against the population and civilian infrastructure and believed that there should be no “impunity” for the crimes committed during the war, for which all those responsible must be held accountable, including the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The world’s seven largest economies also denounced Russia’s “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” and stressed the “critical importance” of expanding the UN’s Grains of the Black Sea initiative to alleviate the “global suffering” caused by Moscow’s use of food and energy as a weapon.
At this meeting in Munich, they reiterated their commitment to preserving an “open and free” Indo-Pacific region based on the rule of law, territorial integrity and the protection of human rights and fundamental principles.
Referring again to China, the G7 ministers also “strongly opposed any unilateral attempt to change the ‘status quo’ by force or coercion”.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than eight million to European countries – according to the most recent data from the UN. which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and impose political obligations on Russia. and economic sanctions.
The UN presented 7,155 dead civilians and 11,662 injured since the start of the war, underlining that these numbers are far from real.
Source: DN
