G7 Foreign Ministers pledge to hold Russian assets and condemn North Korea's arms sales to Moscow: they issued a statement in support of Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
G7 foreign ministers issue a joint statement condemning Russia's aggression in Ukraine, North Korea's arms sales to Moscow, and calling on Iran to stop helping the Russian military.
The heads of the G7 foreign ministries issued a joint statement, in which they focused on unwavering support for Ukraine - they agreed to keep the frozen assets of the Russian Federation until the aggressor pays compensation to Ukraine, condemned North Korea's arms supplies to Moscow, and called on Iran to stop helping the Russian military, UNN reports with reference to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States and the High Representative of the European Union reaffirmed their strong unity of purpose at their first meeting during the Italian presidency in 2024.
On the eve of two years of brutal Russian aggression against Ukraine, they welcomed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to the meeting.
They emphasized that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the very provisions of the UN Charter. They reaffirmed their unwavering determination to continue to support Ukraine in the defense of its freedom, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and commended Ukraine's outstanding resilience and endurance. As recognized at the G7 leaders' meeting in Vilnius last year, G7 members reaffirmed that they are moving quickly with Ukraine, together with international partners, on concrete, bilateral, long-term security commitments and arrangements. They expressed their determination to continue to coordinate with partners to provide military, financial, political, humanitarian, economic and development support to Ukraine and its people, and to strengthen sanctions against Russia and those who materially support its war. They also expressed their intention to intensify efforts against the evasion and circumvention of their sanctions and export controls. They called on all countries to take active measures to prevent the acquisition of military equipment and dual-use items by the Russian defense sector from or through their jurisdictions.
They condemned Russia's ongoing attacks on Ukrainian civilians and human rights violations. They reaffirmed their commitment to fight impunity by bringing to justice, in accordance with international law, those responsible for crimes of concern to the international community as a whole.
They emphasized that Russia will have to pay for the damage and devastation it has caused to Ukraine and its people. They commended the work of the G7 Finance and Foreign Ministries on this issue to date and supported their future discussions. They reaffirmed their determination to hold Russia's sovereign assets in their jurisdictions immovable until it pays for the damage it has caused. The G7 members will continue to explore all possible ways to assist Ukraine in obtaining compensation from Russia in accordance with their legal systems and international law. They welcomed the adoption by the European Union of legislation on extraordinary profits of private entities directly derived from Russia's immobilized assets to support Ukraine.
The G7 members reaffirmed that they will continue to work with international partners to address Ukraine's most urgent and long-term recovery needs and coordinate support through the Inter-Agency Donor Coordination Platform. They emphasized the importance of addressing the needs of the most vulnerable, especially women and children. They noted the upcoming Japan-Ukraine Conference on Promoting Economic Growth and Reconstruction, the 2024 Ukraine Recovery Conference hosted by Germany, and the 2025 Ukraine Recovery Conference in Italy.
They welcomed the European Council's decision in December 2023 to open negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union. They emphasized the importance of Ukraine's continued reform efforts in line with the Euro-Atlantic path it has chosen.
They strongly condemned North Korea's arms transfers to Russia, which are in direct violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions. They also expressed their deep concern about the potential transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology to North Korea, or any transfers of conventional arms or other dual-use items by Russia to North Korea in violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, which would further threaten peace and stability in the world. They recognized that developments in the Indo-Pacific region could have a direct impact on Euro-Atlantic security.
They called on Iran to stop assisting the Russian military and its aggressive war against Ukraine. They also called on all countries to prevent the supply of components or other items for Iran's UAV programs that are intended to support Russia's military efforts.
They reaffirmed their support for Ukraine's efforts - including through the Peace Formula process - to promote a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in accordance with international law, in particular the UN Charter, and through engagement with the widest range of global partners and actors.
They condemned Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, its posture of strategic intimidation, its announcement of nuclear weapons in Belarus at an increasingly unstable and dangerous time, and its undermining of arms control regimes.
They reiterated that Russia's seizure, subsequent control and militarization of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is unacceptable, and they reaffirmed their full support for the efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
