Lhe G7 “will never recognize” the borders that Russia wants to impose by force with its war in Ukraine, the foreign ministers of the group of seven major powers said on Saturday May 14.
“We will never recognize the borders that Russia has tried to change through military intervention,” the foreign ministers say in a statement released after a three-day meeting in Wangels, northern Germany, in which they again call on Belarus to “stop facilitating Russian intervention and respect its international commitments”.
“We will maintain our commitment to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea (…)”, they specify. The head of German diplomacy Annalena Baerbock, whose country holds the presidency of the G7 this year, insisted on the fact that it was up to Ukraine “to decide for itself”, “because it is its territory”. “We will support the measures (…) that Ukraine will take in order to guarantee freedom and peace in the country”, she said during a press conference closing the meeting.
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Towards an intensification of sanctions
These statements come as particularly violent fighting rages in the Donbass region (east), partly controlled since 2014 by pro-Russian separatists, and on which Moscow has been focusing for weeks without making significant progress. Ministers reiterated their call on Russia to “end the war it started without provocation (from Ukraine) and the tragic suffering and loss of life it continues to cause” .
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The G7 foreign ministers also promised to “extend the economic sanctions” aimed at Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine to “sectors on which Russia is particularly dependent” while urging China “not to undermine” these measures. The seven major economic powers want to “accelerate efforts” to “put an end to dependence on Russian energy”, according to the statement issued after a three-day meeting in northern Germany. They “call on China not to support Russia in the attack” on Ukraine.