The United States blocked a "strong" G7 statement on Ukraine that would have condemned Russia, arguing it wanted to preserve its ability to negotiate, an official from summit host Canada said Tuesday.

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"Basically no statement because the Americans wanted to water it down," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The other six members of G7 agreed on "strong language," but a joint statement would have needed agreement from the United States.
The official said that the same language would instead be released in a chair's summary of the summit.
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