Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations said on February 19 that they saw no evidence of Russia reducing its military activity near Ukraine's borders and remain "gravely concerned" about the situation.
"We call on Russia to choose the path of diplomacy, to de-escalate tensions, to substantively withdraw military forces from the proximity of Ukraine's borders and to fully abide by international commitments," the countries said in a joint statement released by the U.S. State Department.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine Live Briefing: Russian Kills POWs, Says Kyiv"As a first step, we expect Russia to implement the announced reduction of its military activities along Ukraine's borders. We have seen no evidence of this reduction," they added.
“While we are ready to explore diplomatic solutions to address legitimate security concerns, Russia should be in no doubt that any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences, including financial and economic sanctions on a wide array of sectoral and individual targets that would impose severe and unprecedented costs on the Russian economy,” the statement said.
The G7 foreign ministers warned that in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, they will take “coordinated restrictive measures.”