The foreign ministers of the world’s seven most industrialized countries (G7) reaffirmed yesterday (Saturday) their unwavering support for Ukraine, during their meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

“G7 members discussed Russia’s devastating war in Ukraine,” they said in a joint statement. “They underlined their commitment to work together to help achieve a lasting peace and a strong and prosperous Ukraine, and reaffirmed the need to provide strong security guarantees to ensure that the war does not resume.”

The meeting of the foreign ministers of the US, France, Germany, Britain, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and Canada was also attended by European diplomatic chief Kaya Kalas and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Shibiha.

Backed by the West, Ukraine has been fighting for three years against Russian troops who have invaded its territory.

G7 countries have offered Kiev military and financial support, including by tapping into frozen Russian assets.

Yesterday Saturday, they did not rule out the possibility of imposing new sanctions against Moscow. “Any new, additional sanctions after February should be related to whether the Russian Federation is making real efforts, in good faith, to put a definitive end to the war against Ukraine, providing Ukraine with long-term security and stability as a sovereign and independent country,” the joint statement said.

“G7 members reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in defence of its freedom, national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” it underlined.

The G7 member states also call for lasting peace in the Middle East. They welcomed the agreement between Israel and Hamas – which calls for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip – and called for an increase in humanitarian aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave.