At G7, UK warns Russia of 'severe' cost of Ukraine incursion

LIVERPOOL – British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Sunday that “the world’s largest economies are united” successful informing Russia that an penetration of Ukraine would person “massive” — though mostly undisclosed — consequences.

Russia’s subject buildup adjacent the Ukrainian borderline has dominated talks among overseas ministers from the Group of Seven affluent democracies successful the English metropolis of Liverpool.

The U.S. and its NATO and G-7 allies interest that the question of Russian troops and weapons to the borderline portion could beryllium precursor to an invasion, and person vowed to inflict dense sanctions connected Russia’s system if that happens.

Moscow denies having immoderate plans to onslaught Ukraine and accuses Kyiv of its ain allegedly assertive designs.

Truss, who discussed the situation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and different G-7 diplomats, said the radical was sending a “powerful awesome to our adversaries and our allies.”

“We’ve been wide that immoderate incursion by Russia into Ukraine would person monolithic consequences for which determination would beryllium a terrible cost,” she said astatine a quality league connected the last time of the play meeting.

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Top diplomats from the G-7 nations — the U.K., the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan — are apt to present a stern informing to Moscow arsenic portion of their conclusions to the league aboriginal Sunday. It’s little wide however overmuch item they volition springiness astir the measures they mightiness take.

When it comes to economical sanctions, Truss said the G-7 was “considering each options.”

A elder U.S. authoritative who participated successful the G-7 discussions said the ministers were agreed successful their “extreme concern” astir developments connected the Russia-Ukraine borderline and agreed connected the request for beardown measures that could beryllium implemented “very, precise fast” if Russia did not heed warnings to backmost down.

The U.S. and its allies person played down speech of a subject effect to support Ukraine, with efforts focusing connected pugnacious sanctions that would deed the Russian economy, alternatively than conscionable individuals.

In the U.S., reporters asked President Joe Biden connected Saturday astir the anticipation of sending combat troops to Ukraine, and helium said that thought was ne'er considered. “Are you acceptable to nonstop American troops into warfare and spell into Ukraine to combat Russians connected the battlefield?” helium said.

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Biden said helium has made it wide to Putin that successful the lawsuit of an invasion, “the economical consequences for his system are going to beryllium devastating. Devastating.”

China’s muscle-flexing successful the Indo-Pacific portion and the ailing Iran atomic woody were besides connected the docket for the play gathering astatine the dockside Museum of Liverpool.

Getting a unified effect from the G-7, a radical of countries with disparate interests, has often proved tough.

Germany plans connected getting state from Russia soon done the contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which bypasses Ukraine. Britain, which is not babelike connected Russian gas, mostly takes a tougher enactment connected the pipeline — but faces pugnacious questions astir London’s fiscal territory and spot market, some hubs for Russian money.

U.K. slope and fiscal authorities person agelong been criticized for allegedly turning a unsighted oculus to ill-gotten gains, but Truss insisted Britain has “very beardown anti-corruption and anti-money laundering rules.”

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G-7 nations are besides progressively acrophobic astir China’s increasing economical and technological dominance, particularly successful processing countries. The G-7 has launched a “Build Back Better World” inaugural to connection processing nations backing for large infrastructure projects arsenic an alternate to wealth from China that, the West argues, often comes with strings attached.

Truss said the G-7 was “concerned astir the coercive economical policies of China.”

“And what we privation to bash is physique the investment, scope the economical commercialized scope of like-minded, state loving democracies,” she said. “That is wherefore we are stepping up our concern into low- and middle-income countries.”

A unified stance towards China continues to beryllium elusive, however, with the U.S. and Britain mostly much hawkish than different G-7 members.

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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this story.

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