G7 Leaders Pledge To Hold Putin Accountable

Leaders of the Group of 7 on Friday reaffirmed support for Ukraine and pledged to hold the Kremlin accountable, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

The leader met virtually Friday morning with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The White House circulated their joint statement shortly after the meeting.

"We are united in our determination to hold President Putin and those responsible to account, consistent with international law," reads the statement.

“We call on Russia to stop its ongoing aggression and to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine,” according to the statement: "We collectively reaffirm the need for an international mechanism to register the damages Russia has inflicted."

The leaders said they are determined, consistent with their respective legal systems, that Russia’s sovereign assets in their jurisdictions will remain immobilized until there is a resolution to the conflict that addresses Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity.

"Any resolution to the conflict must ensure Russia pays for the damage it has caused. We will work with partners beyond the G7 which hold those Russian sovereign assets to build the broadest coalition possible to advance these objectives," reads the statement.

The leaders called the war an “an attack on the fundamental principles of sovereignty of nations, territorial integrity of states and respect for human rights” and said that nuclear rhetoric by Putin is “irresponsible” and “unacceptable.”

Alex Raufoglu