Join Virtual Meeting with G7 Leaders, President Zelensky Asks For Additional Air Defense Assistance For Ukraine

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued his call to leaders of the Group of Seven countries on Tuesday to provide additional air defense and security assistance for Kyiv.

Speaking virtually before the G7 leaders, President Zelensky again reminded of the threat posed by Russia, so it is important for Ukraine to strengthen its defenses.

"The first point is defense support. Air shield for Ukraine. This is part of the security guarantee which is an element of our peace formula," President Zelensky said on the official presidential website as quoted October 12.

"When Ukraine receives a sufficient number of modern and effective air defense systems, a key element of Russian terror, rocket attacks will stop working," President Zelensky said.

Ukraine on Tuesday received a unit of the IRIS-T air defense system that Germany promised to supply, a German defense ministry source said.

Meanwhile, the White House said the United States was expediting the delivery of advanced NASAMS air defenses to Ukraine, as previously promised.

The G7, consisting of the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Britain, Italy, and Canada plus the European Union, pledged to continue "financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support for as long as necessary to Ukraine," it said in a statement.

The G7 also condemned "indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians" as war crimes, saying President Putin would be held accountable for the events.

Putin is "a rational actor who miscalculated significantly," US President Joe Biden said in a CNN interview.

Russian missiles hit Ukrainian cities again Tuesday, but with less intensity than on Monday, when dozens of strikes killed 19 people, injured more than 100 and knocked out electricity across the country in Moscow's biggest airstrike since the invasion began in March. February 24.