G7 Urges Russia To Stop "Provocations", De-Escalate On Ukraine

The G7 foreign ministers issued their joint appeal on the eve of a NATO meeting in Brussels over concerns that the years-long conflict in eastern Ukraine could escalate sharply.

The Group of Seven leading economic powers on Monday called on Russia to stop its "provocations" and "de-escalate tensions" following its troop build-up on the border with Ukraine. The G7 foreign ministers issued their joint appeal on the eve of a NATO meeting in Brussels over concerns that the years-long conflict in eastern Ukraine could escalate sharply. The ministers, most of whose countries also belong to NATO, "are deeply concerned by the large ongoing build-up of Russian military forces on Ukraine's borders and in illegally-annexed Crimea," they said in a statement. "These large-scale troop movements, without prior notification, represent threatening and destabilising activities," the statement added.