U.S. Objects to Calling Russia 'Aggressor' in G7 Statement on Invasion

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U.S. Objects to Calling Russia ‘Aggressor’ in G7 Statement on Invasion
The American opposition to a draft of a Group of 7 statement marking the third anniversary of Russia’s attack on Ukraine comes after President Trump blamed Kyiv for starting the war.


President Trump earlier this week blamed Ukraine for starting the war with Russia and called President Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator. Al Drago for The New York Times

By Steven Erlanger, Matina Stevis-Gridneff and David E. Sanger
Steven Erlanger and David Sanger reported from Berlin, and Matina Stevis-Gridneff from Toronto
Published Feb. 20, 2025 Updated Feb. 21, 2025, 3:29 a.m. ET

The United States is opposing calling Russia the aggressor in the war with Ukraine in a Group of 7 statement being drafted to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, four senior officials from countries involved said on Thursday. ... The American objections to the statement come after President Trump earlier this week blamed Ukraine for starting the war, which in fact began with Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

One senior official from a Group of 7 country said that Canada had circulated the first draft of the statement to the other six member countries. That version, the official said, used language that retained the pro-Ukraine tone the group of allies adopted after the full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

The U.S. side went through that first draft this week and removed all references that could be interpreted as being pro-Ukraine, the official said. The result, the official added, was a neutral draft statement that made no references to Russia as the aggressor in the conflict, nor to Ukraine as the victim of the invasion.

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Foreign affairs ministers from the Group of 7 are scheduled to meet in Quebec from March 12 to 14. The countries’ leaders are scheduled to meet in Alberta in mid-June. ... The last time Canada was the Group of 7 chair, during Mr. Trump’s first term in 2018, the president walked out of a summit meeting in Quebec and withdrew his support for the final joint communiqué, angry about its language on trade.

Steven Erlanger is the chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe and is based in Berlin. He has reported from over 120 countries, including Thailand, France, Israel, Germany and the former Soviet Union. More about Steven Erlanger

Matina Stevis-Gridneff is the Canada bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of the country. More about Matina Stevis-Gridneff

David E. Sanger covers the Trump administration and a range of national security issues. He has been a Times journalist for more than four decades and has written four books on foreign policy and national security challenges. More about David E. Sanger