The United States prevented the Group of Seven from issuing a firm statement condemning Russia over the Ukraine conflict, with a Canadian official saying the US preferred to keep its options open for negotiations.
“Essentially, there was no statement because the Americans wanted to dilute it,” the official, speaking anonymously, said on Tuesday.
While the other six G7 members were in favour of using strong language, any joint declaration required the United States’ consent.
Instead, the official explained that similar wording would appear in the sumit’s chair’s summary rather than in an official statement.