Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has shamed Russia and the sacrifices made by its people to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II, leaders of the G7 group of major Western economies said in a landmark statement the 77th anniversary of the end of the world war. conflict.

The statement, made Sunday after a videoconference between G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, was intended as a rallying call for liberal democracies ahead of Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9 in Moscow.

The G7 statement said: “Through its invasion and actions in Ukraine since 2014, Russia has violated the rules-based international order, in particular the United Nations Charter, designed after World War II to spare generations successive scourge of war.

“President Putin and his regime have now chosen to invade Ukraine in an unprovoked war of aggression against a sovereign country. His actions bring shame to Russia and the historic sacrifices of its people. »

The leaders also accused him of “an attack on feeding the world” if he did not comply with international law and end the blockade of Ukrainian food exports.

The G7 said it had collectively provided Ukraine with $24bn (£19.5) in financial and material support since the start of the war.

Separately, in a televised address to the German people, Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, vowed that Germany would not be paralyzed by fear or allow Russia to dictate the terms of any peace deal in Ukraine.

In the joint statement, the G7 leaders said they would collectively end their dependence on Russian energy “in a timely and orderly manner”, but no specific timetable was set, reflecting the divisions persistent in Europe about how quickly such an elimination can be achieved. .

In a clarification of war aims, the G7 statement said: “Ukraine’s ultimate goal is to ensure the complete withdrawal of Russian military forces and equipment from all Ukrainian territory and to guarantee its ability to protect themselves in the future.”

Downing Street said that in his contribution to the G7 discussion, Boris Johnson urged his counterparts to provide Ukrainians with “military equipment that has enabled them not just to hold ground in Ukraine, but to take it back”.

Johnson “agreed with G7 leaders that the world must step up economic pressure on Putin in any way possible, and said the West must not let the war turn into a stalemate that would only amplify the suffering,” a Downing Street spokesman said.

Johnson also urged his G7 partners to “step up their diplomatic lobbying of their counterparts who are not pressuring President Putin’s war machine”, the No 10 said.

Talks between diplomats in Brussels continued on Sunday to try to secure EU-wide unanimity on a timetable for phasing out Russian energy, but talks were described as difficult. Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have been offered permission to continue importing Russian oil until the end of 2024, but they also want help securing new oil sources and retooling their refineries.

Budapest wants a five-year period to wean itself off Russian oil and says it will need a new pipeline connection with Croatia, which has access to the sea.

The diplomatic activity came as US First Lady Jill Biden detoured from her trip to Slovakia and Romania to visit refugees. during an unannounced visit to Ukraine, where she met her Ukrainian counterpart, Olena Zelenska.

On a busy day of VIP visits to Ukraine, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Irpin, a suburb of kyiv and the scene of some of Russia’s worst early attacks. German Bundestag President Bärbel Bas and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković met with Zelenskiy in kyiv on Sunday.

In the kyiv metro, The Edge and Bono of U2, at the invitation of Zelenskiy, performed alongside a Ukrainian soldier.

Bas is the highest ranking German politician to visit the capital. She participated in commemorative events on the anniversary of the end of World War II, as well as discussions on the controversial issue of German arms exports to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalea Baerbock, a surprise supporter of arms exports, is expected to visit Ukraine soon.

Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn posted photos on an official social media channel with Trudeau, writing that the Canadian Prime Minister “came to Irpin to see with his own eyes all the horror the Russian occupiers had done to our city”.

Markushyn said Trudeau “saw – not military installations – but burned down and completely destroyed homes of Irpin residents, who until recently enjoyed life and had their own plans for the future.”

On Monday, Emmanuel Macron, the French president, will travel to Berlin for talks with Scholz and to deliver an important speech.