G7 heads of government have vowed to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin and those “responsible” accountable for the recent wave of attacks in Ukraine, the group’s leaders said in a joint statement after a virtual meeting on Tuesday.
The G7 countries also pledged to support Ukraine “for as long as necessary”, while pledging to continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support.
The nations assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “that we are not intimidated and are steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to the statement.
“We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will remain steadfast with Ukraine for as long as necessary. We are committed to supporting Ukraine to meet its winter readiness needs.” said the group.
Emergency meeting with Zelensky
The leaders of the countries that make up the G7 were in an emergency meeting by videoconference this Tuesday (11) to discuss the Russian missile attacks that hit Kiev and other cities in Ukraine last Monday (10). The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the meeting.
In addition to him, the seven heads of state of the world’s largest economies will be present: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Russia was once part of the G8 group, but was suspended after illegally annexing Crimea in 2014.
After an explosion severely damaged the Kerch Bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula annexed to the Russian Federation, Russia fired long-range missiles at Ukrainian cities in retaliation. Ukrainian authorities, however, did not claim responsibility for the attacks.
In response to the Russian escalation, the meeting was called. The information was confirmed to CNN by the office of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, current president of the G7.
On his Twitter, Zelensky said he will speak during the meeting. “My speech, in which I will talk about the terrorist attacks in the Russian Federation, is scheduled,” said Ukraine’s president after receiving a call from Scholz inviting him. “We also discussed the issue of increasing pressure on Russia and helping to restore damaged infrastructure.”
Zelensky also spoke with UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, who, according to a statement from her office, “strongly condemned Putin’s appalling attacks on civilian areas in Kiev and elsewhere.” “The prime minister said these are a sign of Ukrainian success and Putin’s growing desperation in response,” the document adds.
“The Prime Minister stressed that the UK wholeheartedly supports President Zelensky and Ukraine. The premier and President Zelensky await tomorrow’s virtual meeting of G7 leaders. They agreed that this provides an important opportunity to re-emphasize opposition unity to Putin’s despicable campaign.”
*With information from Reuters International CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
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