US Blocks ‘Russian Aggression’ Label in G7 Statement as Trump Ramps Up Anti-Ukraine Rhetoric

The United States is reportedly refusing to label Russia as the aggressor in the upcoming G7 communique marking the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Washington opposed the use of phrases like “Russian aggression,” which G7 leaders have consistently used since 2022.

Instead, US officials favor terms such as “Ukrainian conflict,” reflecting what sources say is a broader shift in US policy, the Financial Times reported, citing five diplomats.

“We are adamant that there must be a distinction made between Russia and Ukraine. They are not the same,” an official familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. “The Americans are blocking that language, but we are still working on it and hopeful of an agreement.”

This softer language has already appeared in recent statements from the State Department, including a readout of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Riyadh, where “the conflict in Ukraine” is mentioned twice.

Disagreements over the communique’s wording intensified amid US President Donald Trump’s sharp escalation of anti-Ukraine and pro-Kremlin rhetoric over the past two days, following US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia.

On Tuesday, just hours after the talks in Riyadh ended, Trump delivered a blow to Ukraine and a boost to Putin by falsely claiming that President Volodymyr Zelensky has only a “4% approval rating” in the country and that presidential elections in Ukraine are necessary.

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In a post on his Truth Social site on Wednesday, Trump further vilified Zelensky in his harshest critique to date, calling him a “modestly successful comedian” and a “dictator without elections.”

He blamed Zelensky for dragging the US into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, claimed that Washington spent $350 billion on Ukraine and criticized Europe’s contributions – claims that have been proved wildly inaccurate – before adding that Zelensky has “done a terrible job” for his country.