US opposes ‘pro-Ukrainian tone’ in upcoming G7 statement to mark third anniversary of full-scale invasion

The New York Times reports, citing four senior officials from the participating countries.

According to them, Canada, as the G7 chair, took the initiative and prepared the first draft of the statement among the other six member countries. This version used wording that preserved the pro-Ukrainian tone adopted by the G7 after the full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

This week, the American side reviewed this first draft and removed all references that could be interpreted as pro-Ukrainian, the official said. The result is a neutral draft statement that does not mention Russia as the aggressor in the conflict or Ukraine as the victim of the invasion, the source said.

Diplomats are continuing to work on the wording of the draft, which currently describes “the devastating war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine” but does not use the words “Russian aggression” or “aggressors,” which have been in G7 statements since 2022, senior German and European officials said.

Another senior official added that the development and discussion of the text could continue until Monday, February 24, when the text is due to be published.

It has also not been decided whether G7 leaders will invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to an online meeting.

The officials stressed that the G7 draft is not yet complete, but also said that it is important to come up with a mutually agreed statement.

Canada began the drafting process by following the language used in previous G7 statements on the war, which condemned Russia. But Trump administration officials have said they want something different and shorter than the statement made under former President Joe Biden, and are keen to ensure it does not interfere with or block ongoing talks with Russia, officials said. The Americans also wanted to cut out passages that described the invasion as a violation of sovereignty, one official said.

The current draft includes a statement that says strong security guarantees and Ukraine’s integration into the European Union “will be critical to ensuring a lasting peace that will prevent future aggression.”

• On February 18, U.S. President Donald Trump said at a news conference that Ukraine’s confidence in the president had fallen to 4 percent. Zelenskyy responded by saying that Trump “is living in a space of disinformation.”
• The head of the White House also made a claim about $350 billion in aid to Kyiv, noting that he had never seen a single report on where this money went.
• "We have completely different numbers. Everything is very clear to us: the war cost us $320 billion. $120 billion is us, the people of Ukraine, taxpayers. $200 billion is the United States and the European Union. These are weapons packages," Zelenskyy responded.
• On February 19, Trump said that Zelenskyy refuses to hold elections and has very low positions in Ukrainian polls. He called Zelenskyy "a dictator without elections."
• At the same time, EU Ambassador Katarina Maternova is convinced that elections in Ukraine can be held no earlier than six months after the end of martial law.