Russia is solely responsible for preventing a fair settlement to end the war in Ukraine, the G7 said on Saturday, November 16, in a statement marking 1,000 days of the Russian invasion.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv would like to end the war with Russia next year through "diplomatic means."
"Russia remains the sole obstacle to just and lasting peace," the Group of Seven industrialized nations, of which Italy holds the rotating presidency, said in a statement. The G7, which also comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the United States, confirmed "its commitment to imposing severe costs on Russia through sanctions, export controls and other effective measures."
It expressed "unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes," adding: "We stand in solidarity contributing to its fight for sovereignty, freedom, independence, territorial integrity and its reconstruction. We recognise, too, the impact of Russia's aggression on vulnerable people across the world."
Earlier that day, in an interview with Ukrainian radio, Zelensky said: "For our part, we must do everything we can to ensure that this war ends next year. We have to end it by diplomatic means." "And this, I think, is very important," he added.
February 2025 would mark the third anniversary of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, with Russia's troops gaining ground in recent months against Kyiv's outmanned and outgunned soldiers.
Zelensky spoke a day after saying the war will end "sooner" than it otherwise would have done once US President-elect Donald Trump takes office. He also spoke a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin held his first phone call with a major Western leader, speaking to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz,who initiated the call despite Kyiv's objections.
There have been no meaningful talks between Russia and Ukraine, but Trump's re-election has plunged the attritional conflict's future into uncertainty, with the Republican repeatedly promising to cut a quick deal to end the war. "We have to understand what the Russians want," Zelensky said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will only accept talks with Ukraine if Kyiv surrenders Ukrainian territory that Moscow occupies. The Kremlin said he repeated that demand in the phone conversation with Scholz on Friday.
Zelensky has rejected Putin's conditions.