WANGELS /Germany/, May 14. /TASS/. The G7 group of nations (the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, the US, France and Japan) have urged Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and to return full control to Ukrainian authorities, according to a statement approved by foreign ministers of G7 states on Saturday following a three-day meeting in the Wangels municipality in the north of Germany.

"We condemn actions perpetrated by Russia, which compromise the safety and security of nuclear material and facilities in Ukraine and consequently pose serious risks to human life and the environment. We underline our full support for the efforts of the IAEA and its Director-General to ensure the nuclear safety and security of, and the application of safeguards to, nuclear material and facilities in Ukraine," the document said.

"We call on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and to return full control to legitimate Ukrainian authorities. We reiterate that the IAEA must be able to access all nuclear facilities in Ukraine safely and without any impediments," the ministers stressed.

Russian President Putin said in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.