G7 ready to adopt sanctions against Minsk agreements’ violators

The Group of Seven (G7) major economies (Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, the United States, France and Japan) is ready to impose sanctions on those who will violate the Minsk agreements, the official statement of the Elysee Palace said on Friday, TASS reported.

"The G7 countries demand that all the sides strictly comply with the provisions of the Minsk agreements that have been signed," the statement by the French president’s administration says.

The G7 group of economic powers is "concerned about the situation in Ukraine," the statement says, adding that European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker share this opinion.

The group welcomes the set of measures on the implementation of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine that was approved in the Belarusian capital on February 12 by the sides that signed the initial agreements.

The implementation of the Minsk package envisages "a prospect of reaching an all-encompassing, long-term peaceful settlement of the crisis in eastern Ukraine," according to the G7 leaders.

The G7 is still concerned about the situation in the war-torn country, and in particular, about the armed actions near Debaltsevo, the statement stresses.

"We strongly urge all the sides to strictly adhere to the proposals of the [above mentioned] package and immediately implement the measures envisaged by it, starting from ceasefire on February 15. All the sides should in the following days stop actions that would hamper the compliance with the truce," the G7 leaders said.