G7-SUMMIT/MERKEL UKRAINE Germany's Merkel says G7 condemns Russian seizure of Crimea

Record ID: 134924

  • Title: G7-SUMMIT/MERKEL UKRAINE Germany's Merkel says G7 condemns Russian seizure of Crimea
  • Date: 8th June 2015
  • Summary: KRUEN, GERMANY (JUNE 8, 2015) (REUTERS) PAN FROM MERKEL TO G7 GERMANY LOGO WIDE OF MERKEL SPEAKING
  • Embargoed: 23rd June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVABO3857DR34TEF7PP5HRYLFDXT
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday (June 8) that Group of Seven (G7) leaders "unanimously condemned" Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine last year, also adding that the only solution to the conflict was a political one.
    "We condemn unanimously the seizure of Crimea which is against international law. We are saying that the conflict in south-eastern Ukraine can only be solved politically, based on the Minsk accord," Merkel told a news conference on the closing day of the meeting.
    "We agree that the removal of sanctions is tied to the implementation of Minsk and we are also ready -- should this be necessary although we don't want that -- to toughen sanctions if the situation so requires. But we believe that we must do everything to push ahead with the political process of Minsk," Merkel added.
    Merkel also said that G7 countries are to support Ukraine in reforming its economy and stamping out corruption.
    "We also said that the G7 ambassadors in Kiev should form a support group to assist Ukraine in its economic reforms and in the fight against corruption".
    Earlier, British Prime Minister David Cameron and European Council President Donald Tusk said they hoped the G7 would present a united front on sanctions towards Russia over the Ukraine crisis.
    European Union leaders agreed in March that its sanctions on Moscow over its role in Ukraine would stay until a ceasefire agreement reached in the Belorussian capital of Minsk on February 12 is fully implemented, but a formal decision has yet to be taken.
    Russia, which annexed the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in March last year, denies providing pro-Russian separatists in east Ukraine with weapons and soldiers.
    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking earlier on Monday, urged Western powers to ensure that Kiev meets its obligations under the agreement, which include pulling back heavy weapons and allowing more autonomy in regions held by the separatists.
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