The United States is reportedly seeking to avoid labeling Russia as an aggressor in the upcoming G7 statement marking the third anniversary of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, according to the Financial Times, citing five sources familiar with the situation. This move, if successful, could undermine the “traditional demonstration of unity” among Western nations, the article suggests. Additionally, the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the G7 summit, scheduled for Monday, February 24, is still not confirmed, the FT reports.
Separately, the US has for the first time since February 24, 2022, declined to co-author an annual draft resolution on Russia at the United Nations General Assembly, as reported by the Russian news agency RIA Nowosti. The draft, prepared by the UK, France, Germany, Canada, Switzerland, Poland and the Baltic states, does not include the right of peoples to self-determination, as enshrined in the UN Charter, nor the commitment of Ukraine to neutrality, non-discrimination of its population and non-alignment, which were key components of the declaration of sovereignty of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic within the Soviet Union and the subsequent Ukrainian independence declaration. Instead, the draft calls on Russia to “immediately, unconditionally and in full withdraw all its troops from the territory of the post-Soviet republic.