Ukraine war: Russia president Putin says four annexed Ukrainian regions are ‘Russian forever’

G7 condemns Moscow’s illegal annexation

The Group of Seven leading economies has condemned Moscow’s annexation of occupied Ukrainian territory as “a new low point in Russia’s blatant flouting of international law.”

The G7 called the move “another example of Russia’s unacceptable violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty, the UN Charter, and the commonly agreed principles and commitments of the Helsinki Final Act and the Paris Charter.”

The group, which includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, said they “will never recognize these purported annexations, nor the sham ‘referenda’ conducted at gunpoint.”

The G7 said it would impose further economic costs on Russia, and on individuals and entities – inside and outside of Russia – “that provide political or economic support to these violations of international law.”