President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the G7 summit in France produced new commitments to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, protect its energy supply and increase pressure on Russia.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Ukraine secured new pledges of military, energy and economic support from Group of Seven leaders during this week’s summit in France, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday.
Zelenskyy, who attended the gathering of the world’s leading industrial economies, said the most important outcome was an agreement to further strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses as Russia’s war against the country continues into its fifth year.
“The G7 Summit in France delivered important results for Ukraine. Most importantly, we agreed on additional strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
“Our partners will ensure support for our defense and energy resilience,” he added, saying G7 countries also agreed to introduce new sanctions against Russia.
The summit brought together leaders from Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the United States. In a joint statement published overnight, the leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and praised Kyiv’s battlefield performance.
“We commend Ukraine for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months and emphasize there is now a new momentum” in Ukraine’s resistance, the statement said.
The G7 leaders pledged additional air defense capabilities for Ukraine, though the statement did not specify which systems or weapons would be provided. They also said they would consider granting Ukraine licenses to produce Western weapons. Kyiv has sought permission to manufacture Patriot missiles, which are used to intercept Russian ballistic missile attacks.
Ukraine has faced shortages of American-made Patriot air defense missiles, partly because U.S. stockpiles have been strained by the Middle East conflict. That shortage has left Ukraine more vulnerable to Russia’s strategic bombing campaign.
Zelenskyy has spent much of the period since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 seeking international support for Ukraine while working to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin diplomatically.
The Iran war has diverted some of Washington’s attention from yearlong diplomatic efforts to end the fighting in Ukraine, making Zelenskyy’s engagement with President Donald Trump and European leaders at the G7 summit especially important.
Putin has sought to negotiate Ukraine’s future directly with Washington while excluding Kyiv and Europe from key decisions.
Zelenskyy was also expected to attend a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday. Ukraine officially began EU membership negotiations Monday, opening a process that could take years even as the country continues fighting Russia.
Western officials and analysts say Ukraine’s battlefield position has improved in recent months despite Russia’s larger army. Ukrainian drones have pinned down Russian troops along the front, disrupted supply lines in occupied regions and struck oil infrastructure deep inside Russia.
Those attacks have affected a major revenue source for Moscow and made the war more visible to Russian citizens, increasing pressure on Putin.
Russia describes the conflict as a “special military operation.”
The war continued during the summit. On Wednesday, a Russian drone struck an equestrian sports school for children in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, hitting a stable and killing horses, according to regional official Oleh Hryhorov of the Sumy regional military administration.
Preliminary information indicated that staff at the school were not injured in the nighttime attack.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its air defenses shot down 157 Ukrainian drones from late Tuesday into early Wednesday.
The G7 commitments come as Ukraine continues pressing allies for more air defense missiles, energy support ahead of future Russian strikes and additional sanctions designed to limit Moscow’s ability to finance the war.
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