The G7 countries announced on Sunday that they are ready to adopt new sanctions against Russia, after the “devastating” measures communicated on Thursday, if “it does not end its war of aggression against Ukraine”.
Source: AFP
During a videoconference meeting of the Western powers of the G7 (United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States), the heads of diplomacy demanded that Russia put an “immediate end to the attacks against Ukraine, its population”. civil society and its civil infrastructures, and to quickly withdraw its troops”, according to a statement released by the rotating presidency of the G7, which falls to Germany.
The seven countries warned Moscow that they will not recognize any “change of status” in Ukraine by force, as would be the case, for example, with territorial annexations.
In a subsequent statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the group “has never been so aligned around the world to defend and preserve the freedom and sovereignty of Ukraine and all its states.”
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, and has just recognized the independence of the two self-proclaimed republics of Donbas (eastern Ukraine), controlled by pro-Russian separatist forces.
Western countries already tightened their financial sanctions on Saturday by excluding numerous Russian banks from the global interbank payment platform SWIFT, which could complicate Russian transactions.
They also took steps to prevent the Russian central bank from being able to support the ruble by limiting its access to international capital markets.
On Sunday, Japan announced that it would also remove certain Russian banks from the SWIFT platform, offer millions of dollars in humanitarian aid and freeze assets of Putin and other Russian authorities.
According to Blinken, the Japanese measures demonstrate the “unity and determination” of the G7 to “impose massive costs on Russia and contain its ability to wage its war” against Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba participated in this meeting with his G7 counterparts, according to the statement.
The seven G7 states also agreed to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council will address the humanitarian situation in Ukraine on Monday.
