1 year ago
109 In this photograph illustration, a surface showing president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy's code earlier the members of the planetary tribunal successful The Hague. He accused the Russian authorities of warfare crimes and planetary terrorism.
Igor Golovniov | Lightrocket | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded Tuesday for much subject assistance and stronger sanctions against Russia astatine an exigency gathering of the Group of Seven nations.
Zelenskyy's virtual remarks to G-7 leaders followed intensified Russian rocket strikes connected large Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv. The Ukrainian leader, who has not near his war-weary state since the Kremlin invaded it successful precocious February, said Russian forces utilized much than 100 cruise missiles and dozens of drones successful their attack.
Zelenskyy pressed G-7 leaders to equip his federation with Western aerial defence systems that are designed to way and onslaught ballistic missiles successful the entity earlier they scope their targets. He said that erstwhile Ukraine "receives a capable fig of modern and effectual aerial defence systems, the cardinal constituent of Russian panic — rocket strikes — volition cease to work."
Zelenskyy said the radical of the world's largest economies should effort to weaken the Kremlin's vigor assemblage aft Russian strikes hit astatine slightest 12 Ukrainian vigor facilities.
"When Russia attacks the vigor assemblage and vigor stableness of our countries, we indispensable artifact its vigor assemblage with sanctions, interruption the stableness of Russian revenues from lipid and state trade," helium said.
The Ukrainian person besides called for a "tough terms cap" connected Russian exports of lipid and state successful bid to weaken Moscow's gross stream.
The G-7 has imposed a slew of coordinated sanctions against Moscow for its penetration of Ukraine. The radical was erstwhile known arsenic the G-8 until it removed Russia and became the G-7 aft Moscow illegally annexed Crimea successful 2014.
In a associated statement, the G-7 said it would proceed to "impose economical costs connected Russia" and "provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and ineligible enactment and volition basal firmly with Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes."
The radical besides condemned Monday's strikes, which it described arsenic "indiscriminate attacks connected guiltless civilian populations" which constitutes a warfare transgression nether planetary humanitarian law.
"We volition clasp President Putin and those liable to account," the G-7 leaders wrote successful a associated statement.
Monday's strikes were an evident tit-for-tat retaliation for an explosion implicit the play connected the Kerch bridge, which links Russia to the Crimean Peninsula.
The Kremlin placed the blasted squarely connected Ukraine and vowed a "harsh" response.
Zelenskyy condemned the rocket strikes. "They are trying to destruct america and hitch america disconnected the look of the earth. Destroy our radical who are sleeping astatine location successful Zaporizhzhia, termination radical who spell to enactment successful Dnipro and Kyiv," helium said connected the Telegram messaging app arsenic the rocket strikes crossed Ukraine became apparent.
The strikes killed astatine slightest 14 radical and wounded astatine slightest 97, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya told an exigency league of the planetary forum.
"Deliberate targeting of civilians is simply a warfare crime," Kyslytsya said. He added that Russian forces launched astir 84 missiles against residential buildings, schools, museums, metropolis centers and vigor facilities.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the onslaught connected Monday, calling it an "unacceptable escalation."
"The Secretary-General is deeply shocked by [Monday's] large-scale missile attacks by the equipped forces of the Russian Federation connected cities crossed Ukraine that reportedly resulted successful wide harm to civilian areas and led to dozens of radical being killed and injured," a connection from his bureau read.
The U.N. estimates that Russia's warfare successful Ukraine has claimed much than 6,200 civilian lives and led to much than 9,300 injuries. The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights adds that the decease toll is apt higher.
