Zelenskyy says G7 leaders pledge more help for Ukraine against Russia

By HANNA ARHIROVA

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday his country has won key pledges of further support from world leaders in defending itself from Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year.

Leaders attending the Group of Seven summit in France promised to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and ensure its energy supply, as well as step up international economic pressure on Moscow.

“The G7 Summit in France delivered important results for Ukraine. Most importantly, we agreed on additional strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense,” Zelenskyy, who attended the gathering, said on X.

“Our partners will ensure support for our defense and energy resilience,” he said, adding they will also introduce new sanctions on Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the summit at the lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains produced “unprecedented convergence” among G7 leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, on maintaining support for Ukraine. Trump and Zelenskyy have had a sometimes strained relationship.

Zelenskyy has spent a lot of time since the war began in 2022 trying to secure international support and isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin diplomatically.

Zelenskyy was expected at a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday. Ukraine on Monday officially started its EU membership negotiations, launching a process that could take years even as it fights Russia.

The Iran war has distracted Washington from its largely fruitless effort to end the fighting in Ukraine, and Zelenskyy sought to engage with Trump at the G7 gathering where key European leaders were also present.

Putin has tried to cut out Europe and Kyiv and negotiate Ukraine’s future directly with Washington.

G7 leaders praise Ukraine’s battlefield progress

The leaders of Japan, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the U.S. threw their support behind Ukraine in a joint statement published overnight.

“We commend Ukraine for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months and emphasize there is now a new momentum” in Kyiv’s resistance, it said.

Ukraine’s performance against Russia’s bigger army has improved markedly in recent months, Western officials and analysts say.

High-tech Ukrainian drones are pinning down Russian troops on the front line, choking Russian supply lines in occupied regions of Ukraine and disrupting oil production deep inside Russia that provides vital revenue for Moscow. That has made the war, which Moscow refers to as a “special military operation,” more visible to Russians and increased pressure on Putin.

But Ukraine is short of U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles, in part because of American stocks being depleted by the Middle East conflict, leaving it vulnerable to Russia’s ballistic missiles.

The G7 statement promised Ukraine more air defense capabilities, without specifying what type of weapons.

The leaders also said they would consider granting Ukraine licenses for it to manufacture Western weapons. Kyiv has asked for permits to make Patriot missiles itself.

The summit outcome shows that G7 backing for Ukraine is “as strong as seldom before” and sends a clear signal to Moscow, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

Russia says Ukraine attacked a children’s bus but Kyiv denies it

In Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders both Ukraine and Belarus, Gov. Egor Kovalchuk said a Ukrainian drone struck a bus carrying a children’s soccer team. A woman among the 44 passengers, which authorities said included 28 children, was killed, according to Kovalchuk. Eight people, including six children, were wounded as the bus traveled to Russia from Belarus, he said.