G7 Ministers Warn Putin Of Harsh Consequences If He Attacks Ukraine

The foreign ministers of the G7 group of leading industrialized economies issued a stark warning to Russia on Sunday, vowing harsh consequences should it launch an attack on Ukraine, Larissa Schwedes and Steffen Trumpf reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

Photo Insert: UK Foreign Minister Liz Truss

A possible Russian invasion has alarmed the international community in recent weeks due to a massive build-up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. Moscow is said to have massed between 75,000 and 100,000 soldiers in the region, according to NATO sources, though Russia has repeatedly denied plans to attack Ukraine.

A joint statement by the G7 foreign ministers is expected later on Sunday. The G7 group, which includes Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Italy, Canada, and Japan, previously - as the G8 - included Russia until its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Alongside Russia and Ukraine, further issues discussed by the G7 ministers included greater distance from China and concerns over Iran's nuclear program.

The ministers called on Tehran to make concessions in order to rescue talks on the country's nuclear program. This was the last chance for Iran to come to the negotiating table with a serious solution, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said, vowing that Iran would be prevented from building a nuclear bomb.

Germany's new Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized Iran for delaying the negotiations and for gambling away trust in the process.

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