The democracies of the richest countries in the world tried on Saturday to present a united front against Russian aggression against Ukraine, while the United Kingdom was hosting a meeting of foreign ministers in the city of Liverpool, in the north of England.
The G7 meeting, attended in person the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada, comes amid international concern for the possibility of Russia invading Ukraine. Russia denies planning any attacks.
Before the formal discussions, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss, met with Blinken on Friday night, where they expressed their profound concern about the accumulation of Russian troops on the border of Ukraine, according to the British Foreign Office in a statement.
Any incursion from Russia “It would be a strategic error that would have serious consequences”added the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We must unite strongly to confront the bullies(…) ”, Truss told the foreign ministers at the beginning of the meeting.
Read: Russia maintains tension in Ukraine awaiting Biden’s next move
Ukraine is at the center of a crisis in East-West relations, as it accuses Russia of concentrating tens of thousands of troops in preparation for a possible large-scale military offensive.
Russia accuses Ukraine and the United States of destabilizing behavior, and you have said you need security guarantees for your own protection.
Washington is sending its top diplomat for Europe, Deputy Secretary Karen Donfried, to Ukraine and Russia on December 13-15 to meet with senior government officials.
“Assistant Secretary Donfried will emphasize that we can make diplomatic progress to end the conflict in the Donbas through the implementation of the Minsk agreements in support of the Normandy Format,” the US State Department said in a statement. .
Ministers came to the Museum of Liverpool, before convening the first formal session of the meeting, in which geopolitical issues, such as the nuclear talks with Iran, will be discussed.
“The G7 meeting this weekend is a sign of unity among the main like-minded economies, that we will be absolutely strong in our stance against aggression with regard to UkraineTruss told reporters before the talks.
The UK, as the current G7 chair, is asking its members to be more vocal in their defense of what it calls “the free world.”
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Earlier this week, Truss said that the “age of introspection” for the West was over and that it was necessary to wake up to the dangers of rival ideologies. As examples, he highlighted the economic risks of Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and the broader security threat posed by Chinese technology.
The G7 meeting is also expected to lead to a joint call for Iran to moderate its nuclear program. and seize the opportunity of the ongoing talks in Vienna to reactivate a multilateral agreement on its nuclear development.
Both Truss and Blinken stressed the need for Iran to participate in the talks, according to the statement from the Foreign Ministry.
Germany, which succeeds Great Britain in the leadership of the G7 next year, is expected to lay out its agenda for 2022 at the meeting.
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