G7 Countries Promise to Meet Ukraine's Armament Needs to Face Russia's Onslaught

Illustration of the G7 virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Twitter @G7

JAKARTA - Russian missiles, artillery, and drones hit targets in eastern and southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian General Staff said, as the global economic powerhouse pledged to boost Kyiv's military capabilities with a focus on air defense.

The Group of Seven vowed to "meet Ukraine's urgent requirements", after President Volodymyr Zelensky called for modern tanks, artillery, and long-range weapons to counter Russia's devastating invasion.

President Zelensky also urged the G7 leaders gathered at the virtual meeting to support his idea of ​​holding a special Global Peace Summit, dedicated to bringing peace to his country.

The summit will be focused on implementing Kyiv's 10-point peace plan which emphasizes, among other things, the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine and no territorial concessions on the Kyiv side.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Monday he would be "open-minded" to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles to target launch sites for Russian drones that have hit infrastructure if Russia continues to target civilian areas.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden told President Zelensky Sunday, Washington's priority is to improve Ukraine's air defenses.

Separately, Moscow denies targeting civilians but the war has displaced millions and killed thousands of non-combatants.

As for Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, the "unlivable conditions" are likely to send a wave of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees to Europe over the winter.

In the latest fighting, Russian artillery hit nearly 20 settlements around the destroyed eastern city of Bakhmut.

In addition, "massive shelling" also occurred in the southern city of Kherson which was liberated by Ukrainian forces last month, Ukrainian military and civilian officials said Monday. Reuters was unable to independently verify the latest battlefield accounts.

Despite this, Ukraine says Russian troops have suffered heavy losses in a brutal war on its eastern front, where Moscow is fighting for full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, two of four areas the Kremlin claims it has annexed in a referendum that most countries reject as illegal.