We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and the High Representative of the European Union, unequivocally condemn the staging of sham “elections” held by Russia on sovereign Ukrainian territory in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia oblasts and Crimea, reads the statement.

“These sham “elections” are a further violation of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and of the UN Charter.

Russia has no legitimate basis for any such actions on the territory of Ukraine. The sham “elections” are a propaganda exercise aimed at legitimizing Russia’s illegal seizure of Ukrainian territory.

In October 2022, 143 states voted at the UN General Assembly to condemn Russia’s attempted illegal annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory, reaffirming that no territorial acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as legal.

Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia oblasts and Crimea are part of Ukraine. We will never recognize Russia’s illegitimate claims to sovereign Ukrainian territory and call on all States to unequivocally reject them”, continues the statement.

“Since Russia invaded, it has sought to exercise control through policies designed to instill fear and to suppress Ukrainian culture and identity. These include arbitrary detention, torture, forced deportations, forced passportization, ‘filtration’, and the imposition of Russian law, media, education and currency. Russia’s attempt to create a situation of fait-accompli through these sham “elections” will not alter our approach nor our support to Ukraine as it fights to reclaim its internationally-recognized territory. We will stand with the Ukrainian people and continue to provide the financial, humanitarian, security and diplomatic support Ukraine requires for as long as it takes”, the statement concludes.