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G7 statement on war in Ukraine: "Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime"

"Russia has blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter."

G7 statement on war in Ukraine: "Indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime"
Photo: EPA/UPG

The G7 leaders have held an urgent meeting, which was also attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In their joint statement, they condemned the latest Russian massive missile attack on Ukraine and said that President Putin and those responsible would be held to account.

"We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and recall that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime," the leaders said.

The G7 firmly condemn and unequivocally reject the illegal attempted annexation by Russia of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in addition to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. The leaders reiterated that they would never recognise this illegal annexation or the sham referenda that Russia uses to justify it.

"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 reads.

"We have imposed and will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia, including on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory," it notes.

The G7 deplore deliberate Russian escalatory steps, including the partial mobilisation of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is 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 leaders said.

They also condemned Russia's actions at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and the pressure exerted on the personnel of the facility.

"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 leaders said.

"We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We are committed to supporting Ukraine in meeting its winter preparedness needs," they pledged. "No country wants peace more than Ukraine, whose people have suffered death, displacement and countless atrocities as the result of Russian aggression."

In solidarity with Ukraine, the G7 leaders welcomed President Zelenskyy's readiness for a just peace. This should include the following elements:

- respecting the UN Charter's protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty;

- safeguarding Ukraine’s ability to defend itself in the future;

- ensuring Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, including exploring avenues to do so with funds from Russia;

- pursuing accountability for Russian crimes committed during the war.

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