Thus, the meeting of the G7 foreign ministers took place on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference today, February 19. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba also took part in it.
Call for Diplomacy
It is indicated that the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Great Britain and the United States, as well as the high representative of the European Union, are deeply concerned about Russia’s military power near the borders of Ukraine, in the illegally occupied Crimea and in Belarus.
It is indicated that the unprovoked and unjustified concentration of Russian forces threatens global security and international order.
The ministers called on the Russian Federation to follow the path of diplomacy, defuse tensions, withdraw significant forces from the borders of Ukraine and fully comply with international obligations, including risk reduction and transparency of military operations.
Build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine
As a first step, the ministers expect the Russian Federation to implement the announced cuts in its military activities along Ukraine’s borders.
“So far, we have not seen any evidence of this reduction. We will evaluate Russia by its actions,” the statement said.
Violation of the Minsk agreements by Russia
According to the G7 ministers, the increase in the number of ceasefire violations along the line of contact in recent days is a matter of serious concern.
“We condemn the use of heavy weapons and indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas; this is a clear violation of the Minsk agreements. We also condemn Russia’s continued issuance of Russian passports to residents of non-government-controlled territories of Ukraine. This is clearly contrary to the spirit of the Minsk agreements,” the document says.
Aggravation in Donbass
The Foreign Ministers of the G7 countries expressed concern about the actions of illegal formations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, which should be seen as preparation for a military escalation, and staged incidents can be used as a pretext for a possible military escalation. The statement notes that the Russian Federation should use its influence on the occupation administrations to de-escalate.
OSCE support
The Ministers expressed their support for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, whose members play a key role in the de-escalation efforts.
“The Mission must be given the opportunity to fully and without restrictions on its activities and freedom of movement to fulfill its mandate for the benefit and security of people in the east of Ukraine,” the ministers of the G7 countries emphasize.
Sanctions against Russia
The document also contains calls for readiness for a broad dialogue with Russia in various formats, and in case of aggression – for severe sanctions. At the same time, support is expressed for the sovereignty of Ukraine and the path chosen by its people.
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