The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), convened with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, against the backdrop of the most recent missile attacks against civilian infrastructure and cities across Ukraine.
“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and recall that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime. We will hold President Putin and those responsible to account,” the G7 joint statement reads.
The G7 has also firmly condemned and rejected the illegal attempted annexation by Russia of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions in addition to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol. “We solemnly reiterate that we will never recognise this illegal annexation or the sham referenda that Russia uses to justify it.”
They blame Russia for having blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. “They cannot and do not give Russia a legitimate basis to change Ukraine’s borders. We call upon all countries to unequivocally reject these violations of international law and demand that Russia cease all hostilities and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine.”
The G7 leaders reiterated that they will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia, including on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory, while warning that any use of nuclear weapons will have severe consequences.
“We deplore deliberate Russian escalating steps, including the partial mobilisation of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences.”
G7 reaffirmed their full support to Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty in its internationally recognised borders and pledged further aid to Ukraine. “In line with international law, in particular the UN Charter, Ukraine has the legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and to regain full control of its territory within its internationally recognised borders (…) We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We are committed to supporting Ukraine in meeting its winter preparedness needs.”
G7 leaders also voiced concern regarding “the deliberate damage to the Nordstream pipelines in international waters in the Baltic Sea and strongly condemn any deliberate disruption of critical infrastructure. We welcome ongoing investigations.”
At the same time, G7 warned Belarus and the Lukashenko regime to stop enabling Russia’s aggression.
“We reiterate our call on the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing support to the Russian military. The announcement of a joint military group with Russia constitutes the most recent example of the Belarusian regime’s complicity with Russia. We renew our call on the Lukashenko regime to fully abide by its obligations under international law.”
G7 leaders concluded: “We will act in solidarity and close coordination to address the negative impact of Russia’s aggression for global economic stability, including by continuing to cooperate to ensure energy security and affordability across the G7 and beyond.”
Latest developments in Ukraine. Latest target- a crowded market in Avdiivka town
On the day 231 of the war in Ukraine Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities with missiles. In the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, new explosions were recorded in Zaporozhye, according to local authorities. Since the start of indiscriminate attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine on October 10, Russia has hit 30 percent of the country’s energy infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s energy minister.
The governor of the Donetsk region announced that the Russians attacked a crowded market in the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka on Wednesday. Sky News reports that at least seven people died and eight were injured. Avdiivka is a city of regional importance in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine recaptured five more towns in the Kherson region
The Ukrainian presidency announced on Wednesday morning the recapture from the hands of Russian military forces of five towns in the Kherson region, where Ukraine is carrying out a counteroffensive, causing the withdrawal of Russian troops in a region that Moscow claims to have annexed it, reports AFP.
“The armed forces of Ukraine liberated five more towns in the Berislav district of the Kherson region: Novovasîlivka, Novogrigorivka, Nova Kameanka, Trîfonivka, Cervone,” the Ukrainian presidency announced.
Ukrainian forces have been conducting a counteroffensive for several weeks in this region controlled by Moscow’s troops since the first weeks of the war. After encountering strong Russian resistance, the Ukrainian army in early October made significant gains in the region, particularly near the Dnieper River, south of Krivoi Rog, an industrial city and the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In the region, Kiev has also targeted bridges several times, in order to disrupt the logistical supply of the Russian forces, notes Agerpres. The Kherson region is one of the four regions of Ukraine whose annexation was claimed by Moscow, a decision denounced by Kyiv and its Western allies.