The G7 Foreign Ministers and the High Representative of the European Union on Monday called on Russia to abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities amid the ongoing tensions near the Ukraine border.
Issuing a joint statement on Russia and Ukraine, the G7 ministers said that, "We call on Russia to de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities as President Biden did in his call with President Putin on December 7."
The ministers said that they support the efforts of France and Germany in the Normandy Format to achieve full implementation of the Minsk Agreements in order to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
"Any use of force to change borders is strictly prohibited under international law. Russia should be in no doubt that further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe cost in response," the G7 statement said.
They reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the right of any sovereign state to determine its own future. "We will intensify our cooperation on our common and comprehensive response," the statement added.
In the past few weeks, Kyiv and other US allies have accused Moscow of amassing troops near its border with Ukraine. Moscow, for its part, has repeatedly rejected the accusations saying that the West wants to use them as an excuse to deploy NATO military equipment near the Russian border.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone call with US President Joe Biden and discussed the alleged gathering of Russian troops near Ukraine's borders.
( With inputs from ANI )
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