G7 to meet on Ukraine at nuclear summit

BERLIN ?-- Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) will meet on the Ukrainian crisis at a nuclear summit in The Hague next week, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Wednesday.

Seibert confirmed in a statement that a meeting of the G7 leaders on the sidelines of the nuclear summit is being prepared.

The meeting will focus on the situation in Ukraine and further steps that the G7 may take, the spokesman said, stressing that this meeting is not a summit and will not replace any summit.

The G7 groups seven leading industrialized nations, including the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain.

According to Seibert, the German cabinet on Wednesday approved the signing of parts of the association agreement between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine.

"We see this as an important signal of support to Ukraine," he said, adding that the signing of the agreement with the EU does not mean Ukraine can not have close relations with other neighboring countries in the future.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said Wednesday that the EU will sign the political provisions of the association agreement with Ukraine on Friday, the second day of an EU summit.

As for the current situation in Ukraine, Seibert said it is now urgent to send an observer mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to Ukraine, in particular to the eastern and southern parts of the country, in order to prevent further escalations of the crisis.