The Group of Seven (G7) has sought to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine, closing in on a united front to warn of the serious consequences of an invasion and urging Moscow to return to the negotiating table.
Under the chairmanship of British Liz Tras, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the European Union and the Foreign Ministers of France, Italy, Germany, Japan and Canada met in Liverpool, North England.
A senior State Department official described the talks as “intensive” and said there was still room for diplomacy to de-escalate tensions with Russia.
“If (Russia) chooses not to follow this path, there will be massive consequences and serious costs in response, and the G7 is fully committed to that,” he said. in application very very fast. “
Speaking at the opening session of the talks, British Foreign Secretary Liz Trass called on the G7 to speak with one voice.
“We must defend ourselves against the growing threat posed by hostile elements and we must unite vigorously to confront the aggressors who seek to control the limits of freedom and democracy,” he said at the start of the meeting.
Ukraine is at the center of a crisis in East-West relations as it accuses Russia of mobilizing tens of thousands of troops, possibly preparing for a large-scale military offensive.
Russia has denied the allegations in a statement issued Friday stating “Similar, baseless allegations concerning Russia and the United States have been made more than once.
“We have to make every move to return to dialogue,” German Foreign Minister Analena Berbock told reporters. Germany takes over the rotating presidency of the G7 from Britain next year.
The ministers arrived at the Liverpool Museum, where they were greeted by a brass band playing Christmas carols before launching behind-the-scenes meetings to cover development finance, geopolitics and security. They later left to see the country’s musical heritage at an exhibition on the history of the Beatles.
Britain is urging G7 members to be more vocal in their defense of the “free world”, as it calls it, and talks have focused on Russia, China and Iran throughout the day. An announcement on the results of the talks is expected to be issued tomorrow.
The United States, Britain, France and Germany met late yesterday to discuss how to move forward with Iran following the resumption of talks in Vienna on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Tomorrow’s statement is expected to include a joint call on Iran to curtail its nuclear program and seize the opportunity to revive the multilateral agreement under which Iran is curtailing its nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions.
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