The G7 countries have pledged to strengthen Ukrainian air defense

The ministers of foreign affairs of the countries of the "Big Seven" (G7) declared their intention to strengthen the air defense of Ukraine in order to save the lives of civilians and protect critical infrastructure.

This is stated in the communique following the meeting of the ministers of the G7 states on the island of Capri.

"We will work with partners for this goal [to strengthen Ukrainian air defense]. In this context, we highly appreciate Germanyʼs proposed Initiative for Immediate Action on Air Defense (IAAD)," the statement said.

The heads of foreign affairs of the G7 countries and the head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell condemned Russiaʼs war of aggression against Ukraine. Diplomats emphasized that Russia should pay for the damage and destruction it is causing to Ukraine.

"We welcome the launch of the Register of Damages Caused by Russiaʼs Aggression Against Ukraine. Russiaʼs sovereign assets in our jurisdictions will remain immobilized until Russia stops its aggression and compensates for the damage caused by it," the ministers emphasized.

Diplomats demand that Russia immediately and completely withdraw all its armed forces and equipment from Ukraine, and also note that Russia can end the war today. They appealed to Beijing to help China end the war in Ukraine.

In addition, the diplomats condemned the growth of cooperation between the Russian Federation and the DPRK in the military sphere and called for an immediate end to such activity. They also "expressed concern" about the transfer of dual-use goods from enterprises of the PRC to Russia.

The heads of foreign affairs of the G7 countries call on all countries not to support and not condone Russiaʼs attempts to acquire territory by force, and also stated that they will never recognize the legitimacy of the so-called "referendums" or "elections" of the Russian Federation, past or future, held in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and also their results.

In a statement, the diplomats rejected attempts by the Russian authorities to blame Ukraine for the terrorist attack near Moscow on March 22, for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility.

"We will continue to study all possible ways to help Ukraine receive compensation from Russia in accordance with our legal systems and international law. At the leadersʼ request, we will continue our work and provide consultations ahead of the summit in Puglia," the statement added.

The diplomats also promised to continue to provide military, financial, political, humanitarian, economic support to Ukraine and its people, as well as to help Ukraine repair and restore its critical energy and environmental infrastructure.