Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with G7 leaders and expressed his desire for Russia’s war in Ukraine to come to a conclusion before winter sets in.
Zelensky claimed the fighting conditions would make it harder for his forces as they stage their fightback against Vladimir Putin’s army while speaking to the G7 Summit via video link from the Bavarian Alps.
As he demanded anti-aircraft defense systems and security assurances, he pleaded with the G7 leaders to do everything in their power to put an end to the war by the end of the year.
As he emphasized the need to continue heaping “severe” punitive action on Moscow and to “not ease the pressure,” Zelensky also begged the leaders to “intensify sanctions” against Russia.
Under the condition of anonymity, the European official claimed that the Ukrainian president requested assistance with grain exports as well as assistance with reconstruction.
On Monday, the second day of the three-day G7 meeting in southern Germany, Zelenskiy delivered a video message to the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.
According to a senior U.S. official, the G7 leaders will complete their plans for a price ceiling on Russian oil on Tuesday and agree to a new set of coordinated measures aimed at increasing pressure on Russia over its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
According to a person familiar with the strategy, the US is also preparing to supply Ukraine advanced anti-aircraft missiles to fend off Russian attacks.
The insider, who asked to remain anonymous, claimed that President Joe Biden “has made the procurement of modern air defence systems for Ukraine a priority.”
An announcement regarding the procurement of a “advanced medium- to long-range surface-to-air missile defense system” and other weapons to support Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion is “expected this week.”
The announcement coincided with reports that for the first time since the Bolshevik coup more than a century ago, Russia had defaulted on its foreign sovereign bonds as a result of broad sanctions that effectively cut off access to the country’s assets for many investors and cut it off from the global financial system.
The default, according to a U.S. official, demonstrated how severely the sanctions were affecting Russia’s economy on Monday.
The White House distributed a fact sheet outlining potential G7 moves to boost Ukraine and significantly reduce Moscow’s oil earnings as the official was speaking to reporters.
‘The dual objectives of G7 leaders have been to take direct aim at (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s revenues, particularly through energy, but also to minimize the spillovers and the impact on the G7 economies and the rest of the world,’ the American official stated on the fringes of the yearly G7 summit.
The G7 countries, which produce over half of the world’s GDP, are determined to put further pressure on Russia without escalating the already alarming inflation that is particularly harming the developing world. While really bringing down energy prices, the price cap could hurt the Kremlin’s war chest.
The White House stated in a fact sheet that G7 leaders will also commit to a “extraordinary, long-term security commitment to provide Ukraine with financial, humanitarian, military, and diplomatic support as long as it takes,” including the prompt delivery of cutting-edge weapons.
Russia’s economy has been severely impacted by Western sanctions, and the additional measures are intended to further deprive the Kremlin of oil earnings.
According to the U.S. official, the G7 nations will collaborate with others, notably India, to reduce the amount of money Putin can continue to make.
The official continued, “This morning’s announcement about the determination that Russia has defaulted, for the first time in more than a century, underlines just how forceful the efforts that the U.S., together with friends and partners, have taken, as well as how profound the impact has been on Russia’s economy.”
The high-level discussions take place a day after the first attack on Kyiv by Russia in three weeks resulted in the death of one person when a missile damaged a residential building, according to Ukraine.
Russian bombing of the northeastern Kharkiv region during the last 24 hours has claimed the lives of two women, the local governor announced on Monday.
There will be more on this breaking news story.