Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven on Saturday agreed to continue providing military and economic support to Ukraine ahead of the two-year anniversary of the start of Russian aggression against its neighbor.
The ministers observed a minute's silence at the start of their meeting in Munich, Germany, in memory of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition activist and prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin who died Friday at a jail in the Arctic region.
While reaffirming "their unwavering resolve to continue to support Ukraine," the G7 also "demanded Russian authorities to fully clarify the circumstances of" Navalny's death, urging Moscow "to stop its unacceptable persecution of political dissent," according to a post-meeting statement released by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Italy is this year's chair of the G7, which also involves Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the United States and the European Union.
The ministers condemned North Korea's arms transfers to Russia and expressed concern that Moscow may provide nuclear and missile technologies to Pyongyang.
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also attended the G7 meeting held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
On the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the chair's statement said the G7 voiced "deep concern for the potentially devastating consequences" as Israel threatens to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, the city on the southern edge of the Gaza Strip where 1.5 million civilians have sheltered.
The G7 "underscored the need for a permanent, sustainable end to the conflict," it said, adding it is necessary to work toward a two-state solution for establishing an independent Palestine state alongside Israel to resolve the longstanding conflict.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa did not attend the talks and was represented by a senior Foreign Ministry official.
Related coverage:
Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny dies in prison
Finnish foreign minister says Russia "remains significant threat"
