A day after Russia’s large-scale missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, Group of Seven (G7) nations condemned the attacks and warned that the use of nuclear weapons on Ukraine would have severe consequences, according to a statement released by the White House.
Leaders of G7 states (the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, the US, France, and Japan) said, “We deplore deliberate Russian escalatory steps, including the partial mobilisation of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which are putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences. “
The statement came after the G7 held a meeting with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky. Talking about Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s four regions, the G7 said that Russia has blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. “They cannot and do not give Russia a legitimate basis to change Ukraine’s borders. “We call upon all countries to unequivocally reject these violations of international law and demand that Russia cease all hostilities and immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine,” the statement said.
The G7 in the statement said that they have imposed and will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia and on other countries that are providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.
“We reiterate our call on the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing support to the Russian military. The announcement of a joint military group with Russia constitutes the most recent example of the Belarusian regime’s complicity with Russia. We renew our call on the Lukashenko regime to fully abide by its obligations under international law,” the statement added.
G7 also said that they are looking forward to the outcomes of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction, and Modernisation of Ukraine, which is scheduled for 25th October.