The G7 reiterated on Monday its economic support for Ukraine and its ability to “act quickly” in the face of the “continuous Russian military deployment on the border”, while the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, continues betting on the diplomatic route and traveled to Kiev to give Germany’s solidarity and support to the former Soviet republic.
“We are prepared to act with further economic and financial support in Ukraine in a strongly coordinated manner and in a very short timeframe,” affirmed the finance ministers of the G7 (the seven most developed Western countries) in a statement released this Monday and picked up by the Sputnik and AFP news agencies.
?? The G7, ready to impose sanctions with “significant consequences” for the Russian economy (communiqué) #AFP pic.twitter.com/HZ791mQpxy
— Agence France-Presse (@AFPespanol) February 14, 2022
The heads of Economy of the United States, Canada, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy underlined their commitment to intervene in aid of Kiev while supporting efforts to “identify a diplomatic pathway to de-escalation.”
The ministers also warn that the bloc’s collective sanctions “will have massive and immediate consequences for the Russian economy.”
Ukraine received international aid packages worth more than 48 billion dollars since 2014according to G7 estimates.
At the same time, Scholz declared this Monday on his way to Kiev that he hopes to see signs that point to Russia reducing tensions.
“We urgently await signs of a de-escalation of tensions on the part of Moscow. Further war aggression will have serious consequences for Russia,” Scholz said, quoted by his press service.
The German leader will travel to Moscow on Tuesday, where he is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to demand an “urgent signal” of detente from the Kremlin.
The German chancellor said on Sunday in Berlin that on his trip to Kiev and Moscow he wants to “take the opportunity to see how we can guarantee peace in Europe.”
Several Ukrainian media speculated on Monday whether Scholz is in for a cold reception in Kiev, as a result of Germany’s refusal to provide Ukraine with weapons as other European countries do.
Ukraine demanded an urgent meeting with Russia and the countries of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), after accusing Moscow of not sharing information about its massive troop movements on the Ukrainian border.
Tensions around Ukraine have worsened in recent months due to the accumulation of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border, which the West interprets as preparations for a possible invasion.
Russia rejects these suspicions, defends the right to move forces within its own territory as it sees fit and accuses NATO of seeking pretexts to place more military equipment near Russian borders.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the West unleashes “hysteria” to cover up Ukraine’s sabotage of the Minsk Agreements, which lay the foundations for a political solution to the internal armed conflict in Donbass.
