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Zelenskyy calls on G7 to help end war with Russia 'by the end of the year'



Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses G7 leaders via video link during their working session at Castle Elmau in Kruen, Germany, on Monday, June 27, 2022.   -   Copyright  Kenny Holston/AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged G7 leaders "to do everything possible" to end the war in his country by the end of the year, G7 sources said.

Addressing their summit in Bavaria by video link, Ukraine's leader appealed directly to the leaders for more help for his country, and for "intensified sanctions" against Russia. 
It came as G7 leaders pledged to continue to support Ukraine in the long term.

Zelenskyy "had a very strong message that we must do everything possible to try to end this war before the end of the year," the sources said. He also stressed the importance of "not lowering the pressure and continuing to sanction Russia massively, heavily".
The West has already adopted several packages of measures since the start of the Russian offensive on Ukraine on 24 February.

During his speech, the Ukrainian president "spoke of the harshness of winter" in Ukraine "where it is more difficult to fight".

"At the end of the year, we will enter a situation where positions will be frozen," the sources said.

According to a European official quoted by Reuters, Zelenskyy also called for anti-aircraft defence systems, security guarantees, as well as help to export grain from Ukraine and for reconstruction aid.

G7 support for Ukraine 'as long as needed'


The G7 leaders pledged on Monday to "continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support" to Ukraine "for as long as needed", in a joint statement issued at their summit in southern Germany.
They also expressed "deep concern" after Russia announced that it might transfer nuclear-capable missiles to Belarus.
An agreement is reportedly due to pursue a price cap on Russian oil, raise tariffs on Russian goods and impose new sanctions on hundreds of officials and entities supporting the war.
US President Joe Biden is expected to announce that Washington is providing an advanced surface-to-air missile system to Ukraine, as well as additional artillery support.
The Ukrainian leader's appeal comes the day after Russian strikes on Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, denounced by Biden as acts of "barbarism".
"The G7 leaders (...) have enough joint potential to stop Russian aggression," Zelenskyy said in an earlier video message to his nation on Sunday evening. 
"But this will only be possible when we get everything we ask for and in the necessary timeframe: arms, and financial support, and sanctions against Russia."
The Russian airstrikes over the weekend have been interpreted by Ukrainian and Western officials as a message of defiance aimed at the G7 and NATO, ahead of a summit of the military alliance beginning in Madrid on Tuesday.

Embargo on Russian gold


On the first day of their talks on Sunday at the castle, the seven industrialised countries (Germany, France, the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy and the United Kingdom) announced that they were broadening the sanctions against Moscow by declaring an embargo on gold newly mined in Russia.
This measure will hit "Russian oligarchs directly and attack the heart of Putin's war machine", said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, while the West has already adopted several salvos of sanctions against Russia.
For German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, host of the Elmau summit, the bombing was another reminder that "it was right to be united and to support Ukraine".
Scholz said last week that he wanted to discuss the outlines of a "Marshall Plan" for Ukraine, referring to the US-sponsored plan that helped revive European economies after World War II. He added that "rebuilding Ukraine will be a task for generations".
There have been more calls among the G7 leaders for unity against Russia. Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin "has been counting on, from the beginning, that somehow NATO and the G7 would splinter, but we haven’t and we’re not going to". Boris Johnson, meanwhile, warned the leaders not to give in to "fatigue".
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet leaders from Finland and Sweden in Madrid on Tuesday to discuss the two countries' NATO applications — which have been blocked by Ankara — according to Helsinki.
This first high-level meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will take place in the presence of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the Finnish presidency said on Twitter.

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