G7 calls on all countries to reject Russia’s expansionism

This is said in G7 Foreign Ministers’ statement on the illegal annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory, which was published on the website of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany that took over the G7 Presidency, Ukrinform reports.

The G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, unanimously condemned in the strongest possible terms of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its continued violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.

“President Putin’s efforts to incorporate Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions into the territory of the Russian Federation constitute a new low point in Russia’s blatant flouting of international law, and yet another example of Russia’s unacceptable violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty, the UN Charter, and the commonly agreed principles and commitments of the Helsinki Final Act and the Paris Charter. We will never recognise these purported annexations, nor the sham ‘referenda’ conducted at gunpoint… We reaffirm that the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya as well as Crimea are integral parts of Ukraine,” the statement says.

The ministers reiterate their call for all countries to condemn unequivocally Russia’s war of aggression and its attempt to acquire territory by force.

“We call on the broader international community to reject Russia’s brutal expansionism, its efforts to deny Ukraine's existence as an independent state, and its blatant violation of the international norms that guarantee international peace, security, and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states,” the statement says.

The G7 countries promise to impose further economic costs on Russia, and on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – that provide political or economic support to these violations of international law.

“We are unwavering in our support for Ukraine’s right to defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression and its unquestionable right to reclaim its territory from Russia,” the statement says.

The ministers also condemned Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.

“Russia must immediately stop its war of aggression, withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine, and respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders,” the statement says.