British officials, speaking to foreign ministers at the G7 summit in Japan, said they expected retaliatory action from Russia. “We have to be prepared for extreme tactics from the Russians.”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said last month that Moscow is ready to strike back with “absolutely any weapon” if Ukraine tries to recapture Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, for example.
Rhetoric
G7 ministers said in a statement that Russia’s nuclear rhetoric and extreme threats were “unacceptable”. In addition, ways to end the war were also discussed. For this, Putin should be the first to withdraw his troops from Crimea.
According to a group of former diplomats and military advisers, the war in Ukraine is on the verge of a stalemate. Only increased military support from the West could prevent this, the newspaper writes.
“Statements of support are no longer enough, military actions are disproportionate to the rhetoric of European capitals and Washington.” At the G7 summit, foreign ministers reaffirmed their intention to step up sanctions against Russia.
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