"Putin must not win the war": Statement by G7 leaders following the summit with Zelensky

Baku/08.05.22/UNIAN: The leaders of the "Big Seven" countries assured of further support for Ukraine in countering Russian aggression and condemned the invasion of the Russian Federation. They also pledged to increase pressure on Russia, in particular by abandoning Russian oil and gas.

This is stated in a statement published on the White House website by the leaders of the G7 countries following a virtual meeting with President Vladimir Zelensky, which was held on Sunday.

The statement notes that 77 years after the Second World War, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his regime decided to invade Ukraine.

"Such actions disgrace Russia and the historical sacrifices of its people... Russia has violated the rules–based international order, in particular the UN Charter, conceived after World War II to save future generations from the scourge of war," the statement said.

G7 leaders will continue to support Ukraine

The G7 stressed full solidarity and support for Ukraine's courageous defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and its struggle for a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future.

"President Zelensky stated that Ukraine's ultimate goal is to ensure the complete withdrawal of Russian military forces and equipment throughout Ukraine and ensure its ability to defend itself in the future, and thanked the G7 members for their support. In this regard, Ukraine stressed that it counts on its international partners, in particular the G7 members, to provide the necessary assistance in the field of defense, as well as to ensure a rapid and effective recovery of Ukraine's economy and ensure its economic and energy security," the G7 leaders noted.

The leaders of the G7 countries promised to continue military and defense assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, support Ukraine in protecting its networks from cyber attacks and expand cooperation, including on information security issues. "We will continue to support Ukraine in improving its economic and energy security," the statement said.

"Today, we, the Big Seven, assured President Zelensky of our constant readiness to make additional commitments to help Ukraine ensure its free and democratic future so that Ukraine can defend itself now and deter future acts of aggression," the statement says.

The G7 leaders note that under no circumstances can civilians, and those who do not take an active part in hostilities, be justified targets.

"We will spare no effort to hold President Putin, the creators and accomplices of this aggression, including the Lukashenka regime in Belarus, accountable for their actions in accordance with international law. To this end, we will continue to work together with our allies and partners around the world. We reaffirm our full support for all efforts to ensure full accountability," the statement reads.

Increasing financial support for Ukraine

In the coming weeks, the G7 countries promise to strengthen short-term financial support for Ukraine, which will help to close financial gaps and provide basic services to the population.

Western countries also plan to develop options for long-term support aimed at rebuilding the country and reconstructing destroyed infrastructure facilities.

The statement recalls that since the beginning of the war, the Big Seven, together with the international community, have already "provided Ukraine and promised additional support" in excess of $ 24 billion.

The G7 leaders welcome the opening by the International Monetary Fund of a multilateral donor administrative account for Ukraine and the announcement by the European Union of the development of a Trust Fund for Solidarity with Ukraine. They also support a support package for Ukraine from the World Bank and a resilience package from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

In addition, they call on all partners to support the Ukrainian people and refugees from Ukraine, and help Ukraine rebuild its future.

Tightening of sanctions against Russia

Separately, the statement notes that the G7 countries will continue to impose serious and immediate economic sanctions against Russia and Putin for this unjustified war.

In particular, they undertake to reduce dependence on Russian energy resources, including by "phasing out or banning the import of Russian oil." This is planned to be done "in an orderly manner" so that the world has time to provide alternative sources of supply that would be stable and maintain affordable prices for users.

It is also planned to strengthen the isolation of Russia in all sectors of its economy. "We will take measures to prohibit or otherwise prevent the provision of key services on which Russia depends," the statement said.

Restrictions will also be tightened against Russian banks, which are systemically critical for the Russian financial system and which are connected with the global economy. "We have already seriously worsened Russia's ability to finance its aggressive war by imposing sanctions on its Central Bank and major financial institutions," the leaders of the Group of Seven note.

Additional sanctions will be imposed against Russian financial elites and their family members who support President Putin in his military actions and "burn through the resources of the Russian people."

The fight against Russian propaganda

The fight against the attempts of the Russian regime to spread its propaganda will also continue. "Respectable private companies should not provide profits to the Russian regime or its branches that feed the Russian military machine," the statement says.

In addition, the G7 will continue to counter the Russian disinformation strategy, which deliberately manipulates public opinion in the hope of hiding the guilt of the Russian regime in this war.

The impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on the world

In their statement, the G7 leaders noted that Russia's war against Ukraine leads to global economic problems. In particular, we are talking about the negative impact on the global supply of energy resources, fertilizers and food, as well as on the functioning of global logistics in general.

Food security in the world deserves special attention. "We call on Russia to end the blockade and any other activity that further hinders the Ukrainian production and export of food products, in accordance with its international obligations. Failure to do so will be regarded as an attack on the food security of the world," the statement reads.

The leading countries of the world promise to step up efforts to help Ukraine maintain grain production for the next harvest season and export agricultural products, including by alternative routes.

"The G7 and Ukraine are united in this difficult time in their desire to ensure a democratic, prosperous future for Ukraine. We remain united in our determination that President Putin does not win his war against Ukraine. We owe it to the memory of all those who fought for freedom in World War II, continue to fight for it, for the people of Ukraine, Europe and the world community," the statement concludes.

As UNIAN reported, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky was invited to today's G7 summit.

It was expected that this summit should demonstrate the unity of the West in its opposition to Russian aggression. In addition, it was supposed to discuss new sanctions against Russia, including an embargo on the purchase of oil in the Russian Federation.

The head of the President's Office, Andriy Ermak, noted that the G7 countries once again showed full and unconditional solidarity with Ukraine in the struggle for freedom and independence. He also announced that a very powerful joint statement will be adopted based on the results of the meeting.