G7 ministers call on China to put pressure on Moscow & stop aggression

The G7 countries called on China to put pressure on Russia to stop its aggression against Ukraine. Foreign ministers of the bloc met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly and issued a joint statement.

This was reported by Reuters.

The statement, issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, which holds the G7 presidency, said that members hope that China will seek an immediate, complete, and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

The statement comes as China's top diplomat, Wang Yi, visits Russia for a four-day trip during which both countries are expected to promise deeper political ties, with President Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing on the horizon.

The G7 members also welcomed China's participation in the Ukraine-led meeting in Jeddah and "further encouraged China to support a just and lasting peace, including through its direct dialogue with Ukraine," the statement said.

The G7 joint statement did not name any countries, but said that its members "reiterated their call on third parties to cease any and all assistance to Russia's war of aggression or face severe costs".

After the outbreak of war in February 2023, China refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and sharply increased trade with Moscow in the face of Western sanctions. Beijing has put forward a so-called "peace plan" that contains vague wording.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Putin in Moscow in the spring of 2023 after the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for the Russian president for abducting Ukrainian children.

Author – Anastasiya Glotova, 19/09/2023