Mario Draghi, Volodymyr Zelensky – Photo by Ansa Foto
The G7 summit urgently convened by Germany with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has just ended.
The reason for the meeting was Russia’s military escalation after the Crimean Point attack. Ukraine has been besieged by Moscow’s army for days and world leaders have reaffirmed their closeness to kyiv.
G7 summit, Zelensky: “No dialogue with Putin”
President Zelensky also took part in the summit: “There can be no dialogue with the current Russian leader, who has no future”, he declared, returning to ask for an “air shield” over the entire country, as it had done in the first weeks of the war.
The Ukrainian president’s other demands range from roofing over exports from Moscow to new sanctions on the Kremlin, as well as new weapons for the army.
US and Germany promise air defense systems
US President Joe Biden has promised “advanced air defense systems”, as has Germany. Britain has instead assured that it “will not weaken one iota in its determination to help” Ukraine.
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, these attacks “could violate” the laws of war and constitute war crimes if civilians “were intentionally targeted”. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu instead called for a ceasefire “as soon as possible”.
Draghi-Zelensky phone call before the G7
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, before the G7 summit, had a telephone conversation with Zelensky, as the Ukrainian President himself said: “I had a telephone conversation with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. I briefed him on the consequences of the Russian missile terror, thanking him for his constant and strong support. We have coordinated positions on the eve of major international events, including the G7 summit”.
G7 Summit: the outcome document
The G7 ended with the unanimous decision to support Ukraine: “The G7 will continue to impose new economic costs on Russia and will stand with Ukraine for as long as necessary,” the draft reads. final statement, anticipated by Bloomerg. The G7 also condemned the “acts of sabotage” of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.