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“We call on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine,” the G7 said.
China’s Foreign Ministry defended Beijing’s relationship with Moscow.
“China always opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or mandate from the Security Council,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday.
“China has always carried out normal economic and trade cooperation with Russia and other countries on the basis of equality and mutual benefit.”
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The meeting between Albanese and Biden followed Washington’s offer to train Ukrainian pilots on American-made F-16 fighter jets as Kyiv prepares to launch a new offensive against Russian forces.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Saturday that the US will work with allies “to determine when planes will be delivered, who will be delivering them and how many”.
NATO countries are increasing their supply of weapons to Kyiv dwindle on the eve of the European summer as the war in Ukraine enters a new phase.
The visit from the Ukrainian leader is the highest-profile overseas trip taken by Zelensky since the start of the war last year.
Russia launched its ninth wave of missile strikes at the Ukrainian capital on Saturday.
“Fifteen months of Russia’s aggression has cost thousands of lives, inflicted immense suffering on the people of Ukraine, and imperilled access to food and energy for many of the world’s most vulnerable people,” the G7 leaders said in a joint statement after announcing fresh economic restrictions and arms commitments for Kyiv.
“Our support for Ukraine will not waver.”
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has used the war in Ukraine to sharpen the focus of the world’s leaders on the potential for future conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
“Any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force is unacceptable anywhere in the world,” said Kishida.
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Kishida, Biden, Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were due to travel to Australia for a Quad meeting in Sydney after the G7 next week, but the summit was cancelled due to the US debt crisis. The rescheduled Quad meeting was due to take place in Hiroshima late on Saturday night.
Biden apologised to Albanese for cancelling his trip to Australia and said negotiations with Republicans were “in their closing stages”. He said he was confident the US “will be able to avoid a default” as Washington teeters on the edge of an economic cliff that could have major consequences for the global economy if the deadline of June 1 is not met.
“I’m sorry I’m not taking a plane to Australia,” said Biden as the pair signed a climate and critical minerals’ pact.“All politics is local, but friendship is permanent.”
Albanese said he “would have done exactly the same thing”.
The bilateral was the sixth meeting between the leaders since Albanese became prime minister in May last year.
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