G7 ministers: severe consequences if Russia uses nuclear or chemical weapons

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Italy's Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna attend a working session during the meeting of the G7 Foreign Ministers, at the City Hall in Muenster, Germany November 4, 2022 Rolf Vennenbernd/Pool via REUTERS

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven economic powers said on Friday any use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences, and renewed their call on Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.

"Russia's irresponsible nuclear rhetoric is unacceptable," the ministers said in a joint statement.

"Today we establish a G7 coordination mechanism to help Ukraine repair, restore and defend its critical energy and water infrastructure," they added.

(Writing by Paul Carrel; editing by Matthias Williams)