The United States drew closer to its G7 allies on Friday, at least momentarily, to back Ukraine's territorial integrity and warn Russia to follow Kyiv in accepting a ceasefire or face possible further sanctions.

On Friday, G7 foreign ministers held a session focused on strategic challenges posed by China, North Korea, Iran and Russia. Many foreign policy analysts and military officials refer to these four nations as the “Axis of Upheaval,” describing their growing anti-Western collaboration.

The Group of Seven (G7) insists that any possible ceasefire arrangements in Ukraine be respected, it said in a statement after a foreign ministers’ meeting in the Canadian province of Quebec. "We emphasized that any ceasefire must be respected and underscored the need for robust