Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine:
– End of the war by the end of the year: Zelensky –
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the leaders gathered at the G7 summit to do their utmost to end Russia’s invasion of his country by the end of the year.
He is also calling on the G7 to “tighten sanctions” against Russia, according to a G7 source.
In his speech via video link to the gathering in the German Alps, Zelensky says combat conditions will make it harder for his troops to fight back.
He urges the G7 countries “not to ease pressure and continue to impose massive and heavy sanctions on Russia,” adding to the multiple rounds of sanctions Western allies have already imposed on Moscow.
– G7 increases pressure on Putin, swears solidarity –
The G7 pledge solidarity with Ukraine “as long as it lasts,” in a statement released after Zelenskyy’s video address.
The host of the group’s summit in Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said the G7 will “increase” pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.
“This war must end,” Scholz tweeted.
The G7 also tells Russia it must allow grain shipments to leave Ukraine to avoid worsening a global food crisis.
It called on Moscow to allow Ukrainians who were taken to Russia against their will to return immediately to their homeland.
And she expresses “serious concern” about Russia’s plans to supply missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads to Belarus in the coming months.
– New G7 sanctions taking shape –
A senior US official said the G7 is making progress on talks on capping the amount of money Russia can receive for its key oil exports.
The White House also unveils new measures to hamper Russia’s ability to resupply weapons used in its attack on Ukraine.
The G7 also plans to convert funds from recently imposed trade tariffs on Russian exports into aid to Ukraine.
– Finland, Sweden meet with Erdogan on NATO bids –
The leaders of Finland and Sweden will discuss their stalled bids to join NATO with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the start of an alliance summit in Madrid on Tuesday, the Finnish presidency tweeted.
Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine saw the two Nordic countries put behind decades of military non-alignment by applying for NATO membership in May.
But the joint bid for membership, initially believed to be a swift process, has been delayed by opposition from Ankara, which accuses them of providing a safe haven for Kurdish militants.
– Kremlin denies standard report –
The Kremlin insists there is “no reason” to say Russia has defaulted on its foreign currency sovereign debt as Western sanctions bite over its offensive in Ukraine.
“These claims of insolvency are absolutely false,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters after a key payment deadline expired on Sunday. He says Russia paid off the debt in May.
Bloomberg News reported earlier Monday that Russia had defaulted on its foreign currency sovereign debt for the first time in more than a century after the grace period for about $100 million in interest payments due Sunday.
– US anti-aircraft missiles for Ukraine –
The United States plans to send advanced anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine to defend against Russian attacks, a source familiar with the process told AFP.
An announcement about the purchase of NASAMS, an “advanced medium-to-long-range surface-to-air missile defense system,” as well as other weapons designed to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion, is “likely this week.”
Zelenskyy has advocated stronger defenses against Russian airstrikes since the invasion began in February.
– Putin visits Tajikistan, Turkmenistan –
Putin will travel to Tajikistan on Tuesday, the Kremlin says, his first trip abroad since Moscow launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
He is also expected on Wednesday in Turkmenistan at a summit meeting of the countries bordering the Caspian Sea.
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