THE foreign ministers of G7 nations have united in condemning Russia's "military build-up and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine”.

Representatives from the UK, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, along with the European Union, released a joint statement following talks over the weekend that were hosted in Liverpool.

Russia has already annexed Crimea, part of Ukraine, and tension is rising again, with Russia reportedly massing thousands of troops on the border with its neighbour.

In the statement released on Sunday, the foreign ministers said: "We call on Russia to de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities, as President Biden did in his call with President Putin on December 7.

“We reconfirm our support for the efforts of France and Germany in the Normandy Format to achieve full implementation of the Minsk Agreements in order to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine."

READ MORE: David Pratt: Is Europe's next war already brewing in Ukraine?

The Normandy Format talks involved representatives from Ukraine and Russia as well as France and Germany. The group was created in 2014 to resolve an armed conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine on the border with Russia.

The group has met six times throughout the years but a meeting in March 2020 was indefinitely delayed by the coronavirus pandemic and other international events. It has sometimes been expanded to include Belarus, Italy and the UK.

The Minsk Agreements have sought to resolve the war in Donbas. Multiple agreements have failed to lead to a ceasefire but parties agreed they would remain the basis for any future resolution of the conflict.

The National:

The G7 foreign ministers reminded Moscow that the use of force to attempt to change Russia's border with Ukraine will have "massive consequences and severe cost".

The statement continued: “Any use of force to change borders is strictly prohibited under international law. Russia should be in no doubt that further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe cost in response.

“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the right of any sovereign state to determine its own future. We commend Ukraine’s posture of restraint.

“We will intensify our co-operation on our common and comprehensive response.”

​READ MORE: 'If I go out, the Taliban will kill me ... if I stay at home, poverty will'

At a press briefing, the UK's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was also asked about the “billions” of Russian money flowing into London.

She said: “We do already have very strong anti-corruption and anti-money laundering rules in the UK.

“But let’s be clear, when the UK has wanted to send clear messages and achieve clear goals, we have been prepared to use economic sanctions. So we are considering all options.”

The two-day G7 summit ends today (December 12).