G7 Leaders'
Statement on the Invasion of Ukraine
by Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,
February 24,
2022
We the Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) are appalled by and
condemn the large-scale military aggression by the Russian Federation
against the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of
Ukraine, directed partly from Belarusian soil. This unprovoked and
completely unjustified attack
on the democratic state of Ukraine was preceded by fabricated claims
and unfounded allegations. It constitutes a serious violation of
international law and a grave breach of the United Nations Charter and
all commitments Russia entered in the Helsinki Final Act and the
Charter of Paris and its
commitments in the Budapest Memorandum. We as the G7 are bringing
forward severe and coordinated economic and financial sanctions. We
call on all partners and members of the international community to
condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms, to stand shoulder
to shoulder with Ukraine,
and raise their voice against this blatant violation of the fundamental
principles of international peace and security.
This crisis is a serious threat to the rules-based international
order, with ramifications well beyond Europe. There is no justification
for changing internationally recognized borders by force. This has
fundamentally changed the Euro-Atlantic security situation. President
Putin has re-introduced
war to the European continent. He has put himself on the wrong side of
history.
We are committed to uphold peace, stability and international law.
We are united in our support for the people of Ukraine and its
democratically elected government. In this dark hour our thoughts are
with the people of Ukraine. We stand ready to support with humanitarian
assistance in order to
mitigate the suffering, including for refugees and displaced persons
from the Russian aggression.
We call on the Russian Federation to stop the bloodshed, to
immediately de-escalate and to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. We
also call on Russia to ensure the safety of the OSCE Special Monitoring
Mission. We also condemn the involvement of Belarus in this aggression
against Ukraine and call
on Belarus to abide by its international obligations.
We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russian President Putin's
decision on February 21 to recognize the Donetsk and Luhansk
self-declared entities in eastern Ukraine as "independent" states as
well as his decision to send Russian military forces into these
regions. We call on other states
not to follow Russia's illegal decision to recognize the proclaimed
independence of these entities. The decision by President Putin is a
grave violation of the basic principles enshrined in the UN Charter, in
particular the respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of
states and also a
blatant breach of UN Security Council resolution 2202 — supported by
the Russian Federation as a permanent member of the Security Council —
as well as of the Minsk agreements, which stipulate the return of the
areas concerned to the control of the Ukrainian Government.
We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and
territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and
territorial waters as well as the right of any sovereign state to
determine its own future and security arrangements. We reaffirm that
illegally occupied
Crimea and the self-declared "people's republics" are an integral part
of Ukraine.
We condemn President Putin for his consistent refusal to engage in a
diplomatic process to address questions pertaining to European
security, despite our repeated offers.
We stand united with partners, including NATO, the EU and their
member states as well as Ukraine and remain determined to do what is
necessary to preserve the integrity of the international-rules base
order. In this regard, we are also closely monitoring global oil and
gas market conditions,
including in the context of Russia's further military aggression
against Ukraine. We support consistent and constructive engagement and
coordination among major energy producers and consumers toward our
collective interest in the stability of global energy supplies, and
stand ready to act as needed
to address potential disruptions.
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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