The G7 leaders met in The Hague after announcing they would not attend a G8 summit with Russia in Sochi this June and issued a declaration in support of Ukraine. The declaration confirms and builds upon statements by British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US officials that the world's industrialized nations would suspend meetings scheduled in Russia for the coming months. The leaders also threatened more sanctions adn announced they would cooperate on collective energy security.
The leaders of the world’s industrialised nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States) along with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, condemned the Crimea referendum, and annexation, which they say are illegal and they do not recognise, and threatened Russia with consequences.
“Today, we reaffirm that Russia’s actions will have significant consequences.,” the said in The Hague Declatarion.
“In response to Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to demonstrate our determination to respond to these illegal actions, individually and collectively we have imposed a variety of sanctions against Russia and those individuals and entities responsible. We remain ready to intensify actions including coordinated sectoral sanctions that will have an increasingly significant impact on the Russian economy, if Russia continues to escalate this situation,” they added.
The G7 pointed out Russia’s responsibilities, including those of the world economy, and said that “Russia has a clear choice to make.” .
According to the G7, “Russia must respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, begin discussions with the Government of Ukraine, and avail itself of offers of international mediation and monitoring to address any legitimate concerns.”
“The Russian Federation’s support for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine is a step in the right direction,” they said.
The G7 say they will suspend their participation in the G-8 until Russia changes course and the environment comes back to where the G-8 is able to have a meaningful discussion and will meet again in G7 format at the same time as planned, in June 2014, in Brussels, rather than Sochi, as was planned.
G7 Foreign Ministers will not attend an April meeting in Moscow, while G7 Energy Ministers will meet to discuss ways to strengthen collective energy security.
The G7 leaders also voiced their support for the International Monetary Fund and the central role they say it has to play in Ukraine along with the EU and the World Bank among others.