The Group of Seven key advanced economies are united in holding Russia accountable for violations of Ukrainian sovereignty, US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew says, according to dpa. He said there was "clear-headedness" and "remarkable unity" among G7 finance ministers, who gathered on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington. "There isn't a finance minister in the world who wants to do something that has the risk of causing economic problems in Europe or in the global economy," Lew told reporters. "On the other hand, there was no one in the room who put the economic risk above the broader principle that we have to stand together in telling Russia that it has to step back." He said that he had underlined - including during a meeting with his Russian counterpart - "that the United States will continue to impose costs on Russia for its illegal and illegitimate occupation of Crimea and, moreover, that we are fully prepared to impose additional significant sanctions on Russia if it continues to escalate the situation in Ukraine."
