G7 ministers meet against backdrop of Russia stand-off

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized nations met in Toronto today seeking a common front against what they see as aggression from Vladimir Putin's Russia.

The envoys will also be keen to glean clues from their US colleague about whether President Donald Trump will tear up the Iran nuclear deal and how he will handle a planned summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

The ministers from the world's most powerful democracies are also meeting to plan for June's G7 summit of rich-world leaders in Charlevoix, Quebec -- but Russia and North Korea will never be far from their minds.

Acting US Secretary of State John Sullivan's first bilateral meeting in Toronto late Saturday was with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

"Acting Secretary Sullivan reaffirmed the United States' ironclad support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

"He urged Ukraine to redouble reform efforts and adhere to IMF programs by adopting legislation to establish a truly independent anti-corruption court and raising gas tariffs to import parity levels," she added.

Today, Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland will host all of her G7 colleagues plus the European Union's representative at a working lunch to discuss the crisis in Russia and Ukraine.

G7 capitals are also worried about Russia's role in supporting Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's regime in his country's brutal civil war and alleged attempt to kill a defector with a nerve agent on Russian soil.

On Monday, the foreign ministers issued a joint statement urging the Kremlin to address "all questions related to the incident" and to make a "full and complete disclosure of its previously undeclared Novichok program."