The Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven countries, as well as the High Representative of the European Union, welcome the mediation of other countries in the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs) and negotiations on the return of children illegally taken out by the Russian Federation, the joint statement says.

“We welcome the Montreal Pledge as the outcome of the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of Ukraine’s 10-Point Peace Formula, co-hosted by Canada, Ukraine and Norway as well as the offers by Qatar, South Africa and the Holy See to serve as intermediaries to support and negotiate the return of children; the continuing role of the United Arab Emirates on mediating the exchanges of prisoners of war; and the offers by Norway, Lithuania and Qatar to provide a supportive environment for Ukrainians returning home,” the statement reads.

The ministers also expressed their strongest condemnation of Russia's widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian detainees, including the use of sexual violence, as reported by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

They also condemned the illegal deportation and forced displacement of Ukrainian children by Russia.

The G7 is an international club of governments of seven highly developed countries of the world (USA, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada).