G-7 leaders, including Trump, reiterate ‘unwavering support for Ukraine’
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Ukrainian soldiers taking part in a tactical exercise at a British Army training camp on Feb 24 - the fourth anniversary of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- G-7 leaders reaffirmed "unwavering support for Ukraine" on the invasion's fourth anniversary, backing President Trump's peace efforts and the Coalition of the Willing.
- Four years of combat killed hundreds of thousands, displaced millions, and devastated eastern Ukraine. G-7 pledged over €500 million for energy repair.
- G-7 stated only Ukraine and Russia can negotiate peace, while US-mediated talks failed due to territorial disagreements, highlighting ongoing complexity.
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PARIS - Leaders of the G-7 global powers, including US President Donald Trump, on Feb 24 reaffirmed their “unwavering support for Ukraine” in a statement on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
It marks the first joint declaration by G-7 leaders on Ukraine since Mr Trump’s return to the White House a year ago, noted France, which holds the G-7 presidency this year.
“We express our continued support for President Trump’s efforts to achieve these objectives by initiating a peace process and bringing the parties to direct discussions. Europe has a leading role to play in this process, joined by other partners,” the leaders of the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan said.
They also noted their support for the so-called Coalition of the Willing which has offered security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, adding “that only Ukraine and Russia, working together in good faith negotiations, can reach a peace agreement”.
Moscow had hoped to take Kyiv in days when it launched its invasion on Feb 24, 2022.
Instead, four years later, hundreds of thousands have been killed, millions forced to flee and much of eastern Ukraine has been destroyed.
In the midst of another winter of combat, the G-7 said it has provided financial support along with “critical equipment” in recent weeks such as generators and turbines to aid the country’s energy supplies.
Since January, “more than half a billion euros of new pledges were made to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund to purchase equipment to repair and protect the Ukrainian energy system,” the statement said.
The US has been pushing to end the conflict, mediating talks between the two sides this year in Geneva and Abu Dhabi, but they remain at odds over the issue of territory. AFP
