G-7 threatens 'further sanctions', condemns Russian disinformation
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A man walks in front of a residential building damaged by shelling the previous day, in the city of Chernihiv, on March 4, 2022.
PHOTO: AFP
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BERLIN (AFP) - Group of 7 (G-7) foreign ministers warned on Friday (March 4) that Russia would face further “severe sanctions” for its invasion of Ukraine, and called on Moscow to stop its attacks near nuclear power plants.
“We will continue to impose further severe sanctions in response to Russian aggression, enabled by the Lukashenko regime in Belarus”, the ministers from the G-7 club of wealthy nations said in a statement.
The foreign ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States condemned the overnight attack on Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia atomic power plant, Europe’s largest.
“We urge Russia to stop its attacks especially in the direct vicinity of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants,” they said.
“Any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of international law.”
The ministers said they support an offer by Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to travel to Ukraine to negotiate with Ukraine and Russia on ensuring the safety of nuclear sites.
In view of the rapidly worsening humanitarian situation, the G-7 ministers also welcomed the announcement of an arrangement between Kyiv and Moscow to create evacuation corridors for Ukrainian citizens “as an important step”.
These humanitarian corridors need to be implemented “reliably and swiftly”, the seven nations said.
“We re-emphasise that indiscriminate attacks are prohibited by international humanitarian law.
“We will hold accountable those responsible for war crimes, including indiscriminate use of weapons against civilians,” the statement said.
Allies will also counter “Russia’s disinformation campaign”.
“Their steady stream of fabricated claims is putting additional lives at risk,” the G-7 ministers added.
