The G7 countries pledged to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces “for as long as it takes” and at the same time called for more active engagement with China to stabilize relations with the second economy world.
In a statement issued Tuesday following the meeting of G-7 foreign ministers in Japan, the bloc condemned Russia’s war with Ukraine in “the strongest terms”.
The G7 countries reiterated their support for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace plan, condemning Russia’s “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric”.
“Today, we reaffirm our commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes and to provide Ukraine with unrelenting security, economic and institutional support to help it defend itself, secure a free and democratic future and to deter future Russian aggression,” he added. said in a statement.
“We remain committed to strengthening sanctions against Russia, coordinating them and fully implementing them, including through the Enforcement Coordination Mechanism, and countering attempts by Russia and third parties to circumvent or undermine our sanctions measures,” the ministers said.
They called on all third parties to stop aiding the Russian war at great expense.
“We will strengthen coordination to prevent and respond to third parties supplying arms to Russia and continue to take action against those who materially support Russia’s war against Ukraine,” the statement said. “We have taken the firm decision that, in accordance with our legal systems, Russia’s sovereign assets in our jurisdiction will remain frozen until a solution to the conflict is found that removes Russia’s violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
The statement states that “any settlement of the conflict must ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has caused”.
Ministers said war crimes and other atrocities, such as Russian attacks on civilians and critical civilian infrastructure, cannot go unpunished.
“We support the study of the creation of an international tribunal based on the legal system of Ukraine to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine,” they said.
The G7 countries have declared their intention to strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law, respect for the Charter of the United Nations, the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States, respect for the rights of man and fundamental freedoms.
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