Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has shamed Russia and the sacrifices its people made to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II, leaders of the G7 group of major Western economies said in a statement marking the 77th. anniversary of the end of the world war. conflict.
The statement, made on Sunday after a video conference between G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was intended as an appeal to liberal democracies ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow.
The G7 statement read: “Through its invasion of and actions in Ukraine since 2014, Russia has violated the rules-based international order, particularly the UN charter, conceived after World War II to save successive generations from the scourge of war.
“President Putin and his regime have now chosen to invade Ukraine in an unprovoked war of aggression against a sovereign country. His actions shame Russia and the historic sacrifices of its people.”
The leaders also accused him of “an attack on the world’s food” if he failed to comply with international law and end the blockade on Ukraine’s food exports.
The G7 said they had collectively provided Ukraine with $24bn (£19.5) in financial and material support since the war began.
Separately, in a televised address to the German people, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, promised that Germany would not be paralyzed by fear or allow Russia to dictate the terms of any peace agreement in Ukraine.
In the joint statement, G7 leaders said they would collectively end their reliance on Russian energy “in a timely and orderly manner,” but no precise timetable was set, reflecting continuing divisions in Europe over how quickly that such removal can be achieved. .
In a clarification of the goals of the war, the G7 statement said: “Ukraine’s ultimate goal is to ensure the complete withdrawal of Russian military forces and equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and to ensure its ability to protect itself in the future “.
Downing Street said that in his contribution to the G7 discussion, Boris Johnson urged his counterparts to provide the Ukrainians with “military equipment that would enable them not only to hold the ground in Ukraine, but to take it back.”
Johnson “agreed with the G7 leaders that the world must intensify economic pressure on Putin in any way possible, and said the West must not allow the war to become a stalemate that only magnifies suffering,” he said. a Downing Street spokesman.
Johnson also urged his G7 partners to “step up their diplomatic lobbying of counterparts who are not putting pressure on President Putin’s war machine,” No 10 said.
Talks between diplomats in Brussels continued on Sunday to try to secure unanimity across the EU on a timetable for the Russian power phase-out, but discussions were described as difficult. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have been offered permission to continue importing Russian oil until the end of 2024, but they also want help securing new oil sources and restructuring their refineries.
Budapest wants a five-year break from Russian oil and says it will need a new pipeline connection with Croatia, which has access to the sea.
The diplomatic activity came as US first lady Jill Biden detoured from her trip to Slovakia and Romania to visit refugees. on an unannounced visit to Ukraine, where he met his Ukrainian counterpart, Olena Zelenska.
On a busy day of VIP visits in Ukraine, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toured Irpin, a kyiv suburb and the scene of some of Russia’s worst early attacks. The president of the German Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, and the Croatian prime minister, Andrej Plenković, met this Sunday with Zelenskiy in kyiv.
In the kyiv subway, Edge and Bono from U2, at Zelenskiy’s invitation, performed alongside a Ukrainian soldier.
Bas is the highest-ranking German politician to visit the capital. He participated in events commemorating the anniversary of the end of World War II, and discussed the controversial issue of German arms exports to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalea Baerbock, an outspoken arms export advocate, is expected to travel to Ukraine shortly.
Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn posted photos on an official social media channel with Trudeau, writing that the Canadian prime minister “came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horror that the Russian occupiers had done to our city.” .
Markushyn said Trudeau “saw, not military installations, but completely burned and destroyed homes of Irpin residents, who until recently enjoyed life and had their own plans for the future.”
On Monday, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, will travel to Berlin for talks with Scholz and a major speech.
Reference-www.theguardian.com