The leaders of the G7 countries met on Thursday 24 March in Brussels to further strengthen their cooperation “in light of Russia’s unjustifiable, unprovoked and illegal aggression” against Ukraine.
In a joint statement, the leaders condemned the “devastating” attacks on the Ukrainian population and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, warning that they were working together to collect evidence of war crimes.
“We will spare no efforts to hold President Putin and the architects and supporters of this aggression, including the Lukashenko regime in Belarus, accountable for their actions”, the G7 warned.
The leaders also stressed their determination to fully implement the economic and financial measures already imposed on Russia. “We will continue to cooperate closely, including by engaging other governments on adopting similar restrictive measures to those already imposed by G7 members and on refraining from evasion, circumvention and backfilling that seek to undercut or mitigate the effects of our sanctions”, they said. They also expressed their readiness, if necessary, to take additional measures “while continuing to act in unity”.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, the meeting was also an opportunity for Europeans, who are hosting almost all Ukrainian refugees and are closely linked to Russia for their energy imports, to receive testimonies and commitments of solidarity from their partners.
“We stand ready to welcome (refugees) on our territories”, the G7 leaders stressed, recalling the need to further increase international assistance to Ukraine’s neighbours.
The leaders also recalled that they were working together to reduce their dependence on Russian energy. “At the same time, we will ensure secure alternative and sustainable supplies, and act in solidarity and close coordination in the case of possible supply disruptions”, they promised.
The G7 also expressed its readiness to take action to prevent and respond to the evolving global food security crisis. “We will make coherent use of all instruments and funding mechanisms to address food security, and build resilience in the agriculture sector in line with climate and environmental goals”, they added. According to Mr Macron, the EU could thus increase its production targets.
The leaders also called on the community to protect the most vulnerable countries, with the support of international and regional institutions.
See the G7 countries’ statement: https://aeur.eu/f/xk (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Léa Marchal)