G-7 countries call on Russia to choose diplomacy, reduce troops

The foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G-7) countries on Saturday issued a joint statement urging Russia to choose the path of diplomacy and “substantively withdraw” its troops near the Ukrainian border.

The foreign ministers said they “remain gravely concerned about Russia’s threatening military build-up around Ukraine, in illegally annexed Crimea and in Belarus.” 

“We call on Russia to choose the path of diplomacy, to de-escalate tensions, to substantively withdraw military forces from the proximity of Ukraine’s borders and to fully abide by international commitments including on risk reduction and transparency of military activities,” they added.

The foreign ministers said they were willing to engage with Russia through diplomacy but reiterated that Russia would face swift action should it take further military action against Ukraine. The nations also reiterated their support for Ukrainian sovereignty in light of heightened Russian aggression.

The G-7 countries also called on Russia to follow the terms of the Minsk agreements, which ended fighting between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces following an international effort agreed to in 2015. 

“Russia must de-escalate and fulfill its commitments in implementing the Minsk Agreements. The increase in ceasefire violations along the line of contact in recent days is highly concerning,” the foreign ministers added. “We condemn the use of heavy weaponry and indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, which constitute a clear violation of the Minsk Agreements.

“We also condemn that the Russian Federation continues to hand out Russian passports to the inhabitants of the non-government controlled areas of Ukraine,” they added. “This clearly runs counter to the spirit of the Minsk agreements.”

The foreign ministers’ statement comes as officials now estimate that between 169,000 and 190,000 Russian troops have been amassed near the Ukrainian border. 

President Biden said that he is now convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made up his mind to invade Ukraine and that Russian forces will target the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. 

“Let me be clear, I can say with absolute certainty if Russia further invades Ukraine the United States, together with our allies and partners, will impose significant, and unprecedented economic costs,” Vice President Harris warned in prepared remarks on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference.