The defense ministers of the G7 countries said they support Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration , including NATO membership," Reuters reported.
"We underline our intention to continue providing Ukraine with military assistance, both in the short and long term,", the ministers said in a joint statement issued after the end of their meeting today in the Italian city Naples.
"We condemn Russia, which has created a situation of confrontation and destabilization on a global scale, while also resorting to hybrid warfare and irresponsibly using nuclear rhetoric,", the text also reads. "We believe that the G-7, together with other international partners, can play a key role in the process of achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in accordance with international law, while respecting the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. This cannot happen if we do not continue to work to achieve the widest possible international support for Ukraine", the G-7 ministers emphasize in their declaration.
This year Italy is the rotating chairman of the G-7. The group also includes the USA, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany and Japan.
The meeting in the southern Italian city was also attended by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and representatives of the EU.
Several hundred demonstrators gathered in the center of Naples, who organized a protest march through the streets of the city with Palestinian flags and demands for an immediate end to the fighting in Gaza. Minor clashes with police were reported.
The final G7 communiqué also included a call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. It is noted that the spiral of attacks and retaliatory strikes hides the danger of an "uncontrollable escalation of tensions in the Middle East".
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the death of the leader of "Hamas" Yahya Sinwar could increase the chances of an end to the conflict in Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid to finally flow into the Palestinian enclave for its war-torn population.
He added that the UN mission in Lebanon UNIFIL, which was recently attacked by Israel in the framework of the conflict with Hezbollah, could become more effective, but according to Borrell, this depends on the Security Council of the world organization, which must make the appropriate decisions.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he would like Israel to limit its strikes on Beirut to some extent and reported assurances he had received from Israel that no one was planning to attack UNIFIL.
Italy is an important contributor to the replenishment of the peacekeeping forces of the UN mission in Lebanon, which are stationed in the south of the Middle Eastern country to monitor the situation along the demarcation line with Israel. The Israeli attacks caused sharp displeasure on the part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who visited Lebanon and Jordan on Friday.