The G7 summit of the world’s most powerful democracies wrapped up its meeting on May 27 with a unified approach to Russia. The leaders said economic sanctions will stay in place and could toughen if Russian President Vladimir Putin does not call off his war against Ukraine and return Crimea.
Here is the relevant section:
“A sustainable solution to the crisis in Ukraine can only be reached with the full implementation by all sides of their commitments under the Minsk Agreements. We support the endeavors of the Normandy group and commend the multifaceted commitment of the OSCE in order to de-escalate the crisis. We stress the responsibility of the Russian Federation for the conflict and underline the role it needs to play to restore peace and stability. We reiterate our condemnation of the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, reaffirm our policy of non-recognition, and fully support Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty. We recall that the duration of sanctions is clearly linked to Russia’s complete implementation of its commitments in the Minsk Agreements and respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty. Sanctions can be rolled back when Russia meets its commitments. However, we also stand ready to take further restrictive measures in order to increase costs on Russia should its actions so require. We maintain our commitment to assisting Ukraine in implementing its ambitious and yet necessary reform agenda and commend Kiev for its progress to date. Despite our differences with Russia, we are willing to engage with Russia to address regional crises and common challenges when it is in our interest.”
The entire communique can be read here
The current G7 leaders are:
U.S. President Donald J. Trump
French President Emmanuel Macron
United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni
