The United States is pushing back against efforts to officially call Russia a war aggressor in a Group of Seven (G7) statement marking the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a report by the Financial Times on Thursday. The report cites anonymous Western officials familiar with the situation.

The G7 has released a statement in favour of Ukraine on February 24, the day Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the order for the full-scale assault, since 2022. “The Americans are blocking that language, but we are still working on it and hopeful of an agreement,” one official told FT. Washington has avoided calling any side the "aggressor" and instead refers to the war as the "Ukraine conflict." According to two FT sources, this reflects a shift in U.S. policy. Recent U.S. foreign policy statements have also used similar language.

“They are not the same,” an anonymous official briefed on the matter said, adding that “there must be a distinction made between Russia and Ukraine.” The G7 has not yet decided whether to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to its virtual summit on Monday, officials told the Financial Times. Similarly, the U.S. chose not to co-sponsor a draft UN resolution supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity on the third anniversary of the war, according to Reuters.

These disagreements occur as tensions between Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump are rising as Trump drastically alters Washington's stance on Russia and the conflict in Ukraine. Trump has promised to end the conflict quickly, claiming that Ukraine provoked Russia's invasion. He has also suggested holding a meeting with Putin. However, European and Ukrainian leaders worry that Trump might make important compromises with Russia that could harm Ukraine.