UWC appalled by suggestion that Russian Federation be reinstated as a member of the G7

The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) is appalled by the suggestion made on 8 June 2018 by U.S. President Donald Trump, supported by Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, that the Russian Federation be reinstated as a member of the G7.

In June 2014, the Russian Federation was excluded from the G8 summit that was originally scheduled to be held in Sochi, Russian Federation, and later moved in another format, without the Russian Federation, to Brussels, Belgium. The decision was made by G7 leaders in unanimous condemnation of the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine and the illegal invasion of Crimea, and as a reaffirmation of their support for the people of Ukraine and the fundamental principle of the territorial integrity of independent countries.

The hybrid aggression of the Russian Federation continues with an escalating vengeance claiming casualties on an almost daily basis. As of today, the Russian Federation has seized 7.2% of the territory of Eastern Ukraine and its military actions have resulted in 11,000 deaths, including 2,500 civilians, and 24,000 wounded. Currently in Ukraine there are 1.6 million internally displaced persons, whereas the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine has negatively impacted the lives of close to 4.4 million Ukrainians living in the Donbas and resulted in the greatest humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War. There are more than 100 Ukrainian hostages in the Donbas and over 60 Ukrainian political prisoners continue to languish in prisons in the Russian Federation and Crimea. 

“The Ukrainian World Congress calls upon G7 leaders to remain firmly committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continue to pressure the Russian Federation to remove its troops from Eastern Ukraine, de-occupy Crimea and release all Ukrainian hostages and political prisoners illegally detained by the Kremlin” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.