‘We call on Russia to cease its provocations’ – Statement by the EU High Representative and the G7 Foreign Ministers on large build-up of Russian military forces on Ukraine’s borders

The large-scale Russian troop movements on Ukraine’s borders and in illegally annexed Crimea, without prior notification, represent threatening and destabilising activities, says a statement issued on 12 April by the High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell and the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The ministers stress that they are deeply concerned by this large ongoing build-up of Russian military forces.

“We call on Russia to cease its provocations and to immediately de-escalate tensions in line with its international obligations. In particular, we call on Russia to uphold the OSCE principles and commitments that it has signed up to on transparency of military movements and to respond to the procedure established under Chapter III of the Vienna Document,” says the statement.

Recalling their last statement of 18 March, the ministers reaffirmed their unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders. They remind that the full implementation of the Minsk agreements is the only way forward for a lasting political solution to the conflict.

“We call on all sides to engage constructively in the Trilateral Contact Group on the OSCE’s proposals to confirm and consolidate the ceasefire,” says the Statement.

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