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The US is opposed to calling Russia an invader in the G7 statement, the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale Ukrainian invasion, and according to five western officials familiar with the issue, the traditional They are threatening to derail the show of unity.
Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky’s participation in Monday’s virtual G7 summit has not yet been agreed, officials said.
The disagreement suggested that after President Donald Trump denounced Ukraine for the war, he described Zelensky as a “no-election dictator” and invited Russia to the G7.
US envoys are opposed to similar explanations as the phrase “Russian attack,” which has been used by G7 leaders since 2022 to explain the conflict, Western officials said.
One of the world’s leading economies traditionally issued a statement of support on February 24, when the full-scale invasion began three years ago.
“We assert that there must be a distinction between Russia and Ukraine. They are not the same,” an official who was briefed on the issue told the Financial Times.
“Americans are blocking that language, but we’re still working on it and we’re hoping for an agreement,” the official added.
Kyiv officials said on Thursday, a planned press conference was cancelled following talks between Zelensky and Trump’s Ukrainian envoy and a meeting between Ukrainian envoys.
Zelensky was expected to talk to reporters along with Keith Kellogg, but the event was cancelled by US authorities after the meeting began, the Ukrainian president’s office said.
The US embassy in Kiev declined to comment, but Zelensky said he had a “detailed conversation” with Kellogg on Thursday evening.
The two discussed the situation on the battlefield, Zelensky said: “As well as effective security assurance… We have proposed the fastest and most constructive way to achieve results.”
The change in Russian American language was in contrast to last year, when the country’s attacks were mentioned five times in a statement from the G7 leader.
The 2024 statement stated, “We call on Russia to immediately halt the war of attack and to completely and unconditionally withdraw the troops from internationally recognized Ukrainian territory.”
The Trump administration’s claims about language softening reflect a wider change in US policies to explain the “Ukrainian conflict” and war, the two familiar with the issue said.
Recent statements from the US State Department use similar language. Read out The meeting between Secretary of State Marko Rubio and Riyadh’s Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has twice mentioned the “Ukrainian conflict.”
The change shows a departure from the language used by the Biden administration, which used phrases such as “Russian attack” when referring to Europe’s biggest land war since World War II.
The controversy over the statement saw Trump praise Putin, agreeing to many of his demands regarding Russian war in Ukraine, and showing his willingness to normalize Washington’s relations with Moscow, meeting senior Russian officials on Tuesday This happens after showing encouragingness to meet senior US officials. In Riyadh.
Trump has also falsely claimed that Zelenskyy has a approval rate of just 4% in Ukraine. A poll released this week showed that Kyiv Institute of International Sociology enjoyed support from 57% at home, starting with 52% in December.
Putin responded warmly to the Trump administration’s overture. “The US negotiators were completely different. They accepted the negotiation process without bias or judgment about what was done in the past,” Putin said after the Riyadh meeting. “They’re going to work together.”
