Russia-Ukraine Conflict: US President Joe Biden, G7 Leaders Discuss Russia's 'Unprovoked' Attack of Ukraine

Washington, Feb 25: US President Joe Biden on Thursday held a virtual meeting with leaders of G7 countries to carve out their joint response to Russia's "unprovoked and unjustified" attack on Ukraine, the White House said.

In a televised address on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his move to launch a military operation in Ukraine came in response to threats emanating from the neighbouring country.

Also Read | 'Russia Was Left With No Other Choice', Says President Vladimir Putin on Military Operations in Ukraine.

He also warned other countries that if they attempted to interfere with the Russian military operation they would see "consequences they have never seen".

“The G7 Leaders' meeting started. President Biden and leaders are discussing their joint response to President Putin's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine,” a White House official said.

Also Read | Ukraine Calls on the European Union To Urgently Provide Air-Defence, Anti-Missile Systems.

The G7 is an informal grouping of seven of the world's advanced economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.

The meeting with G7 leaders lasted for 70 minutes, according to information provided by the White House.

In addition to Biden, the other participants were Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, Prime ministers Justin Trudeau of Canada, Mario Draghi of Italy, Kishida Fumio of Japan, Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, and president Emmanuel Macron of France.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also attended the meeting.

Earlier on Thursday, President Biden convened a meeting of the National Security Council in the Situation Room to discuss the latest developments in Ukraine, according to another White House official.

President Putin announced in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the head of the Donbas republic, he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people “who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.”

Putin has said that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.

Russia's Defence Ministry reported that Russian troops were destroying Ukrainian military infrastructure using precision weapons. The US has already announced a series of sanctions on Russia to prevent it from accessing Western financial markets.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday vowed to “hobble” the Russian economy with sanctions for what he termed as President Putin's “hideous and barbaric” venture of invading Ukraine.

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