The Group of Seven nations (G7) is still discussing a joint statement on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine due to disagreements with the U.S., Reuters reported on Feb. 25, citing Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
"We've been working, indeed, with the Europeans and Americans. We are still having some conversations," Joly said during the briefing when asked about the statement's status.
Joly's statement comes after the U.S. joined Russia and Belarus in voting against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24.
"Canada and other countries don't agree with the position that the U.S. advocated at the UN, particularly the resolution they brought up," Joly said.
Washington also opposes the wording "Russian aggression" in any joint G7 statement on the war, according to Reuters.
"It is a fluid situation, and we'll continue to engage, but I've been foreign minister now for three years and a half, and it's never been so intense in terms of diplomatic engagement, to say the least," Joly added.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz both declined to explicitly name Russia as the aggressor in Fox News interviews. Hegseth referred to the war as "a very complicated situation" when asked if Russia attacked Ukraine unprovoked.
U.S. President Donald Trump also chose not to label Russian President Vladimir Putin a dictator while responding to journalists on the sidelines of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 24.
Trump called the Ukrainian leader a "dictator" in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, accusing him of refusing to hold elections and repeating false claims about the war in Ukraine.
Yet, Trump's remarks disregard Ukraine's constitution, which prohibits elections under martial law, and echoed the narratives of Russian propaganda.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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