Zelenskyy asks G7 for defense systems, reconstruction aid
Elmau, Germany, Jun 27 (EFE).- Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday called on G7 leaders to provide anti-aircraft defense systems, reconstruction aid and a strategy to work around Russia’s blockade of the Black Sea which has blocked Ukrainian exports of grain and triggered a global food crisis.
Zelenskyy’s video address during a closed door session opened the second day of the Group of Seven Summit in the southern German town of Elmau, during which leaders are expected to push for new sanctions against Russia.
The Ukrainian president – in addition to calling for more sanctions against Moscow – urged the leaders of the G7 to support Kyiv with determination and said the war must end before winter.
The war was dominating discussions at the summit which falls between last week’s European Council, where Ukraine was formally recognized as a candidate to join the European Union, and the upcoming Nato summit, which opens on Wednesday in Madrid.
In addition to pledging support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion, the G7 leaders were expected to address the consequences of the conflict on the global economy, rampant inflation and the alarm over the food crisis triggered by Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian wheat.
The United States on Monday announced plans to raise tariffs on hundreds of Russian exports totaling $2.3 billion and ban imports of Russian gold as part of a raft of measures outlined at the Summit.
A US official added that the G7, which brings together the world’s largest economies, were close to agreeing a deal to issue a price cap on Russian oil exports, the details of which are to be hammered out in the near future.
G7 leaders also pledged to help Kyiv cover its budget deficit in the short term, which would entail an additional $7.5 billion from the US, the source said. EFE
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