No Criticism of Russia Included in G-7 Statement

   Munich, Feb. 15 (Jiji Press)---Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven major powers reaffirmed their "unwavering support" for Ukraine, which is battling Russia's invasion, but stopped short of condemning Moscow, in their joint statement issued Saturday.
   U.S. President Donald Trump's desire to achieve an early ceasefire in Ukraine through direct negotiations with Russia apparently prompted the G-7 ministers to avoid language that could provoke Russia.
   The joint statement was issued after the G-7 ministers held a meeting in the German city of Munich on Saturday.
   The ministers "underscored their commitment to work together to help to achieve a durable peace and a strong and prosperous Ukraine, and reaffirmed the need to develop robust security guarantees to ensure the war will not begin again," the statement noted. However, it did not include the strong criticism of Russia's acts of aggression and nuclear threats, which had been mentioned under the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden.
   At the first G-7 foreign ministers' meeting under the second Trump administration, attention was focused on what would happen to the forum's conventional cooperative system. After participating in the meeting, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters, "It was very significant that we frankly discussed and adjusted our respective views and confirmed them."

(2025/02/16-12:50)

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