G7 says ready to beef up Crimea sanctions against Russia

G7 nations including the United States said today that they stood ready to strengthen sanctions imposed against Russia after its annexation of Crimea if Moscow's actions warranted it.

"We recall that the duration of sanctions is clearly linked to Russia's complete implementation of its commitments in the Minsk Agreements and respect for Ukraine's sovereignty.

Sanctions can be rolled back when Russia meets its commitments," a G7 statement read.

"However, we also stand ready to take further restrictive measures in order to increase costs on Russia should its actions so require," it said, while stressing this did not rule out cooperation in other parts of the world.

"We maintain our commitment to assisting Ukraine in implementing its ambitious and yet necessary reform agenda and commend Kiev for its progress to date," the statement said.

"Despite our differences with Russia, we are willing to engage with Russia to address regional crises and common challenges when it is in our interest.

The G7 statement came after the United States administration ended uncertainty over its attitude to sanctions on Russia by saying it would support stronger action if deemed necessary.

Western powers charge Russia with failing to honour its commitments under the Minsk accords framework for establishing a cessation of hostilities between Ukrainian government forces and Moscow-backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)