The G7 leaders asked China on Saturday to “put pressure” on the Kremlin so that Russian troops leave Ukraine “immediately” and end the war in that country. “We urge China to put pressure on Russia to stop its military aggression and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine,” they said in the final joint statement from their summit, which is being held in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
In addition, the Group of Seven “encouraged” China to support a “complete, just and lasting” peace in Ukraine based on territorial integrity and the principles contained in the founding charter of the United Nations. That peace, the statement added, must take place “in direct dialogue” with Ukraine.
China has proposed a rather ambiguous peace plan, which has won the support of Moscow, since, although it defends the territorial integrity of the countries, it does not allude at any time to the Russian annexation of four Ukrainian regions or the withdrawal of Russian troops from the neighboring country.
The Ukrainian president, VolodÃmir Zelenski, has presented his own peace plan that sets as conditions to end the war the complete restoration of the territorial integrity of his country and an international agreement with security guarantees for the future.
In their statement, the G7 leaders reiterated their support for Zelensky’s plan and included one of the most repeated phrases in their joint communications: “We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes to achieve comprehensive peace. , fair and lasting”.
Apart from China, another of the highlights of the joint statement regarding Ukraine refers to the role that Iran has played in the war by sending weapons to Russia. Specifically, the G7 expressed “grave concern” over Iran’s “destabilizing” actions, especially the transfer to Russia of armed drones that have been used in the war in Ukraine to carry out attacks against civilians and against Ukrainian infrastructure, such as the Internet. electrical.
Members of the group announced a new round of sanctions on Friday to make Russia pay for the war in Ukraine and to cut off its avenues to finance the invasion. This new wave of sanctions was led by the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, which yesterday detailed their new measures of pressure coinciding with the joint declaration, while the member countries of the EU (Germany, France and Italy) are preparing a new package of coordinated sanctions within the 27, and Japan plans to announce similar measures soon