FT: US opposes calling Russia aggressor in G7 statement marking 3rd year of full-scale war in Ukraine

Washington is reportedly opposing, for the first time, labelling Russia as the aggressor in a joint G7 statement marking the third anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is not approving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's participation in a virtual G7 summit.

The Financial Times (FT) cited five unnamed sources as saying that the United States opposes labelling Russia an aggressor in the statement on the third anniversary of the full-scale war.

In addition, the participation of Zelenskyy in the virtual summit of the Group of Seven leaders scheduled for Monday has not yet been agreed upon.

Washington reportedly opposes the standard language typically used in G7 statements on the war, particularly the term "Russian aggression".

"We are adamant that there must be a distinction made between Russia and Ukraine. They are not the same... The Americans are blocking that language, but we are still working on it and hopeful of an agreement," a source stressed.

The challenges in approving the statement are likely linked to recent shifts in the White House's policy and the Trump administration's efforts to open a dialogue with Moscow. Notably, a statement from the US Department of State after talks in Saudi Arabia involving US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov referred to the Russo-Ukrainian war as a "conflict in Ukraine".

Russian leader Vladimir Putin "highly appreciated" the talks in Riyadh and expressed his readiness to meet with US President Donald Trump.