The G-7 leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States have unveiled their next move against Russia.
The leaders, in a statement in Washington yesterday, said in the event of future Russian armed attack on Ukraine, they would provide the Volodymyr Zelenskyy-led government “with swift and sustained security assistance.”
“We will provide modern military equipment across land, sea and air domains, and economic assistance, to impose economic and other costs on Russia, and to consult with Ukraine on its needs as it exercises its right of self-defence enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter,” they said.
The leaders added that they would continue to work for a free, independent, democratic, and sovereign Ukraine.
“We affirm that the security of Ukraine is integral to the security of the Euro-Atlantic region.
“We consider Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to be a threat to international peace and security, a flagrant violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and incompatible with our security interests. We will stand with Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression, for as long as it takes.
“We stand united in our enduring support for Ukraine, rooted in our shared democratic values and interests, above all, respect for the UN Charter and the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty. “
“Today, we are launching negotiations with Ukraine to formalise — through bilateral security commitments and arrangements aligned with this multilateral framework, in accordance with our respective legal and constitutional requirements — our enduring support to Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity, rebuilds its economy, protects its citizens, and pursues integration into the Euro-Atlantic community. We will direct our teams to begin these discussions immediately,” the leaders said.
They also vowed to work with Ukraine on bilateral, long-term security commitments and arrangements to ensure a sustainable force capable of defending Ukraine and deterring Russian aggression.
