KIEV, May 27 - Leaders of the Group of Seven Industrialized Nations - the United States, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan - condemn and do not recognize the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea by Russia, according to a communiqué signed following a G7 summit in Italy’s Taormina.

“We stress the responsibility of the Russian Federation for the conflict and underline the role it needs to play to restore peace and stability. We reiterate our condemnation of the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula, reaffirm our policy of non-recognition, and fully support Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the communique reads.