BPA Pressemitteilung G7 Leaders’ Statement on the invasion of #Ukraine by armed forces of the #RussianFederation

Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung

G7 Leaders’ Statement on the invasion of Ukraine by armed forces of the Russian Federation

(Hinweis: eine deutsche Version folgt.)

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 recognised 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 recognise
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 recognise 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 recognised 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 rules-based international 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.