Top diplomats from the Group of Seven (G7) gathered Saturday in Britain as the host country called for “a show of unity against global aggressors” amid Russia’s standoff with Ukraine. The UK is seeking consensus from the industrialized nations’ club over “malign behavior” by Russia, and tensions with China and Iran. “We need to defend ourselves against the growing threats from hostile actors,” British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said as she opened the meeting of foreign ministers from the UK, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. “And we need to come together strongly to stand up to aggressors who are seeking to limit the bounds of freedom and democracy.”

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Truss and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed how to deter Russia from “further aggression against Ukraine” in a one-on-one meeting, the State Department said. Britain said the two warned that a Russian incursion “would be a strategic mistake for which there would be serious consequences.”

The US and its NATO allies have threatened Russia with severe economic sanctions amid intelligence warnings that Moscow could be planning an invasion of Ukraine “as soon as early 2022” with 100 battalion tactical groups.

Ukraine has said the movement of Russian troops and weapons to the border is an attempt to “provoke return fire.”

In a video conference this week, US President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow would face “economic consequences like you’ve never seen” if it invades Ukraine, although he noted that Washington would not deploy its military forces there.

Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s denial of planning to attack Ukraine but emphasised that NATO’s possible expansion to Ukraine was a “red line.”

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The State Department announced Saturday that the top American diplomat for Europe, Karen Donfried, will visit both Kyiv and Moscow next week “to reinforce the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity” Donfried will head to Brussels to talk with NATO and European Union allies.

Attempting to rally unity among disparate the G-7 club of wealthy nations, Truss said that “free democratic nations” must wean themselves off Russian gas and Russian money to preserve their independence.”