“It has been exactly a year since Russia launched its unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. On this day we reiterate, in the strongest possible terms, our condemnation of Russia’s brutal war of aggression, which is an unprecedented violation of fundamental values and principles of international law. The UN Charter must be protected and upheld.

The European Union and its member states will continue, as long as it takes, to provide unwavering support to Ukraine, diplomatically and on the international stage, in defence of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Russia’s armed aggression does not only constitute a threat to peace and security in Europe, but it also creates risks to undermine the preservation of the international rules-based order in other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific. The European Union, its Member States and like-minded partners cannot and will not tolerate any unilateral changes of the international status quo through the use of force, in Europe or elsewhere.

Our unity with Japan has been unwavering and we are taking unprecedented actions together, from sanctions to diplomatic isolation of President Putin and his regime, to our support for Ukraine. Japan has been instrumental in our joint G7 activities aiming to raise the cost of Russia’s criminal invasion. Japan has also provided substantial financial, humanitarian and in-kind assistance to the Ukrainian people.

We remain convinced, that Japan, as the Presidency of the G7 and a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, will continue to play a crucial role as a promoter and coordinator of the international efforts aimed at upholding the international rules-based order.

We also express our hope that Japan, along with the European Union and other international partners, will firmly commit to the prosecution of all those who are responsible for war crimes and other serious crimes in connection with Russia’s war of aggression, and be actively involved in the joint effort of post-war repair, recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, helping the Ukrainian people to gain peace and prosperity”.