G7 sees no sign of reduced Russian activity near Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell pose for a group picture after a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the G7 Nations at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, Germany, February 19, 2022. Ina Fassbender/Pool via REUTERS

Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations said on Saturday they saw no evidence that Russia is reducing military activity near Ukraine's borders and remain "gravely concerned" about the situation.

"We call on Russia to choose the path of diplomacy, to de-escalate tensions, to substantively withdraw military forces from the proximity of Ukraine's borders and to fully abide by international commitments," the countries said in a joint statement released by Britain's foreign ministry.

"As a first step, we expect Russia to implement the announced reduction of its military activities along Ukraine's borders. We have seen no evidence of this reduction," they added.

(Reporting by David Milliken; Editing by Mark Potter)