Paris: Leaders of the Group of Seven major powers issued a joint statement  reaffirming their “unwavering support” for Ukraine on Saturday, two years after the start of Russia’s invasion of the country.

The statement was released after the G-7 leaders held a teleconference amid growing aid fatigue due to the protracted war.

The G-7 summit was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who asked for the swift provision of weapons and ammunition needed to counter Russian aggression.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida indicated that his country will impose additional sanctions on Russia in coordination with its G-7 counterparts.

Kishida said it is important to show solidarity with Ukraine, which remains in a grave situation under Russia’s invasion.

In the joint statement, the G-7 leaders strongly condemned North Korea’s export of ballistic missiles to Russia, urged Iran to stop its military assistance to Russia and expressed concern about the transfer from Chinese companies to Russia of equipment that can be diverted for military use.

The G-7 leaders paid tribute to “the extraordinary courage of Alexei Navalny,” a Russian opposition icon who died in prison earlier this month, and urged Moscow to “fully clarify the circumstances around his death.”

The leaders instructed their ministers to “continue their work and update ahead of the Apulia Summit (in Italy in June) on all possible avenues by which immobilized Russian sovereign assets could be made use of to support Ukraine.”

On Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and signed their countries’ respective bilateral security pacts with Ukraine. Among the G-7 countries, Britain, Germany and France have already signed such pacts with Ukraine, while Japan and the United States have not.

JIJI Press