The G7 countries announced today that they intend to impose “new harsh sanctions” against Moscow due to its invasion of Ukraine, and have pledged to oppose Russia’s “disinformation campaign”.

“We will continue to introduce new strict sanctions in response to Russian aggression,” the foreign ministers of a group of the world’s most developed countries(Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain, and the United States) said in a joint statement.

They also condemned “the disinformation of the Russian government and the media connected with it”, whose “constant flow of fabricated claims endangers additional lives”.

They called for the urgent establishment of humanitarian corridors in Ukraine to facilitate the evacuation of civilians and allow access to United Nations relief organizations and medical personnel.

“We will demand accountability from those responsible for war crimes, including the indiscriminate use of weapons against civilians, and we support investigations and the collection of ongoing evidence, especially from the International Criminal Court prosecutor,” the statement said.

The G7 countries called on Russia to stop the attacks in the vicinity of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants, after last night’s Russian shelling of the Zaporizhzhia power plant, the largest in Europe.

“Any armed attack and any threat against nuclear facilities used for peaceful purposes is a violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter, international law,” the joint declaration said.

They stated that they support the initiative of the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Organization(IAEA) to reach an agreement between Ukraine and Russia, which will guarantee the safety of Ukrainian nuclear facilities.