The Foreign Ministers of the G7 countries and the High Representative of the European Union on Saturday called on Russia to “choose the path of diplomacy, reduce tensions, withdraw a large part of its armed forces from close proximity to Ukraine’s borders and to fully comply with international commitments, particularly in terms of risk reduction and transparency of military activities”.
“As a first step, we expect Russia to carry out the announced reduction of its military activities along the Ukrainian border. We will judge Russia by the yardstick of its actions”, underline the heads of diplomacy of Germany, Canada, the United States of America, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom. United, and the High Representative of the EU in a joint statement.
Saying they are “gravely concerned by the threatening deployment of the Russian army all around Ukraine, they believe that Russia’s “massive unprovoked and unjustified” concentration of military troops, the largest deployment on the European continent since the end of the Cold War constitutes a “challenge to global security and international order”.
In their joint statement, they say they have taken note of the latest statements announcing that Russia is ready for diplomatic dialogue, and underline their “determination” to continue dialogue with Russia on issues of mutual concern, such as security. European Union, risk reduction, transparency, confidence-building measures and arms control.
“We also reaffirm our determination to reach a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to the current crisis, and we urge Russia to respond positively to the offer made to it to engage in dialogue within the framework of the United States dialogue with Russia. on Strategic Stability, the NATO-Russia Council and the OSCE,” the statement noted.
While welcoming the renewed OSCE dialogue on European security launched at the initiative of the Polish OSCE Chairmanship, the representatives of the seven countries and of the EU affirm that they “very much hope” that Russia will take part in it constructive way.
According to the statement, “there should be no doubt for Russia that any further military aggression against Ukraine would have serious consequences, including financial and economic sanctions, on a wide range of sectoral and individual targets which would impose a severe cost. and unprecedented on the Russian economy”.
In such a case, “we would take restrictive measures in consultation”, note the heads of diplomacy of the G7 countries and the high representative of the EU, who reaffirm their “solidarity” with the Ukrainian people and their “support ” to Ukraine’s efforts to consolidate its democracy and its institutions, and encourage it to continue to make progress on reforms.
According to them, the Ukrainian overtures deserve to be seriously examined by the Russian negotiators and by the government of the Russian Federation, they call on Moscow “to seize the opportunity that the Ukrainian proposals represent for the diplomatic channel”.
Russia must de-escalate and meet its commitments in the implementation of the Minsk agreement, they stress, adding that the increase in ceasefire violations along the line of contact in recent days is very worrying.
“We condemn the use of heavy weapons and the indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, which constitute a clear violation of the Minsk agreements. We also condemn Russia’s continued issuance of passports to residents of non-government-controlled areas in Ukraine. This clearly contravenes the spirit of the Minsk Accords,” they point out.