G7 Leaders Reject Illegal Annexation of Ukrainian Territory by Russia
The G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union have condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
They have also denounced Russia’s continued violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence. In a statement released on September 30, the G7 leaders said that President Putin’s efforts to incorporate Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya regions into the territory of the Russian Federation constitute a new low point in Russia’s blatant flouting of international law.
The statement added that it is yet another example of Russia’s unacceptable violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty, the UN Charter, and the commonly agreed principles and commitments of the Helsinki Final Act and the Paris Charter.
The G7 leaders asserted that they will never recognize these purported annexations, nor the sham “referenda” conducted at gunpoint. “We reiterate our call for all countries to condemn unequivocally Russia’s war of aggression and its attempt to acquire territory by force,” the G7 leaders said.
They also called on the broader international community to reject Russia’s brutal expansionism, its efforts to deny Ukraine’s existence as an independent state, and its blatant violation of the international norms that guarantee international peace, security, and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states.
The G7 leaders also reiterated their condemnation of Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, saying that it will not distract or dissuade them from supporting Ukraine, for as long as necessary.
Further, the G7 leaders said Russia must immediately stop its war of aggression, withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine, and respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.
The leaders reaffirmed that the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhya as well as Crimea are integral parts of Ukraine.
