Russia faces “major consequences” if it invades Ukraine. That’s in a joint statement of the G7. Foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, Italy, Germany, the US and an EU representative met in Liverpool this weekend to discuss, among other things, tensions over Russia and Ukraine.
The ministers did not specify in the statement what the consequences of a Russian invasion would be. However, the US has already threatened with severe economic sanctions, such as cutting Russia off from the international payment system Swift. That would complicate Russian trade with the rest of the world.
The G7 countries emphasize that they stand behind Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that any infringement of them is unlawful. The ministers therefore call on Russia to de-escalate military tensions in the border area.
The concern of the G7 countries is the Russian troop build-up near the border with Ukraine, where about 70,000 Russian soldiers are stationed, according to the US, according to the US. Ukraine even speaks of more than 90,000 soldiers.
In this video you can see how tensions around Ukraine have risen sharply in recent times:
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