After three days of meetings with world leaders at the G-7 summit in France, Ukraine has secured a unanimous pledge for more support in its war with Russia. French President Emmanuel Macron has hailed the meeting as a moment of unity after months of disagreements, saying Russia has shown no desire to end the years-long conflict.
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TRANSCRIPT
Ukraine is on a mission to secure an additional 20 billion euros from its allies.
After the G-7 summit in France this week, it is closer to that goal.
Ukraine defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov says it is the only way for his country to end its war with Russia.
“The foundation of our future victories is innovations and technology because we don't have people Russia has. And, we need to find an asymmetric, approach, how to to defeat Russia, and we found a lot of, different solutions, and we will continue to do it."
Group of Seven nations- including the US, UK, France,Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada - have agreed to increase support to Ukraine to end its war with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron is praising Ukrainian resilience.
(French to English VO)"The balance of power has profoundly changed in recent months. Ukraine is advancing, resisting, and Russia is retreating. That is why we all agreed to increase the provision of air defense capabilities, additional systems and interceptors, as well as long-range capabilities.”
The unanimous deal - which includes the United States, includes defence capabilities and the consideration of fresh sanctions against Russia.
It signals a major turnaround for US President Donald Trump.
Last year, he walked out of the G7 early and later said it was Europe's role to protect Ukraine - not the US' responsibility.
In Evian, he took a harder line against Moscow, saying Russia had to seek a deal and showing impatience over the casualty toll on both sides.
“President Putin, I spoke over the phone with. And something's going to happen. They'll losing a lot of people. A lot of soldiers, are losing soldiers. Both are losing a lot. Russia's losing more because they're the offensive ones. And when you're offensive in war, you lose more.”
President Macron recognised what he says is a "very deep change in the US approach" towards Ukraine.
“President Donald Trump, like all of us, we simply noted that there was no serious willingness from Russia, today, to discuss peace. And so, I do not know how to tell you whether there will be a before, an after, it is not for me to judge, it is the facts that will tell you, the Evian summit. What I can tell you is that there was a shift, there was an Evian moment, certainly on Ukraine.”
President Trump, however, downplayed any discord with Vladimir Putin and even praised him at the same summit for his neutrality in the US conflict with Iran.
Reporter: "And at this point, do you feel that Vladimir Putin is more responsible for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine?"
Trump: "Well, I don't want to comment on that because I'm trying to get it settled. And that doesn't make it easy.”
The Netherlands has committed 250 million Euro ($410M AUD) to Ukraine to procure Dutch made drones with Dutch Defence Minister Dilan Yesilgoz reporting the nation has contributed $1 billion to Ukraine's defence to date.
“As Ukraine continues to successfully resist Russia's aggression, Putin is increasingly turning to brutal aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities. These attacks continue to take a terrible toll on innocent civilians. That is why air defense is more important than ever."
Despite not being part of the Group of Seven, India and Brazil were present at the summit - with the nations' respective President and Prime Minister meeting on the sidelines with Mr Zelenskyy, along with South Korean and Kenyan leaders.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed a recommendation that one single envoy represent Europe in contact with Russia.
“I think that if we want to reach a result on this matter, I can tell you this: I believe it would be very difficult to put forward someone from one of the largest European countries. I think that proposing someone from one of those countries would make an agreement, from my point of view, more difficult. Therefore, I would turn towards the medium-sized powers of the European Union.”
NATO Secretary Mark Rutte welcomed the news from the G7 summit, saying that as the war drags into a fifth year, it is crucial for members to continue to support Ukraine.
“Ukraine is demonstrating that the Russian war machine is not unstoppable and is shifting the dynamics on the battlefield. Together, allies have given billions in artillery, ammunition, and aid. But it is crucial to continue this support to help Ukraine maintain its advantage.”
As Ukraine was shoring up support for more defence, the EU announced it is scaling back its commitments to house refugees.
The 27-nation European Union granted Ukrainians temporary protection after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, a measure rolled over several times and currently set to expire next March.
In a letter to leaders ahead of a summit later this week, EU chief Ursula Von Der Leyen signalled military-age Ukrainians could lose refugee protections,
Russia, meanwhile, is accusing Ukraine of a deadly drone strike that hit a bus carrying Belarusian children on Wednesday.
Russian investigators have opened a probe into an attack on a bus carrying 44 people, including 28 children.
Ukraine's military says the claim is false.
A day earlier, at least four people died in Russian attacks on cities in Ukraine's east and southeast that set fire to a residence and a shopping centre.
Resident Nataliia says she sheltered with her husband and children before a drone hit nearby.
"My husband, the kids, and I hid in one room - it’s the one at the very end of our building, with other rooms surrounding it. We also grabbed some blankets, covered ourselves with them, and the next drone hit right in front of our building. The building just collapsed; it’s gone.”
Russia also accused Ukraine this month of another drone attack on a bus which it said killed eight civilians and wounded 11 more, in a Russian-controlled part of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine.
Both sides deny targeting civilians.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also voiced concerns over Russian aggression.
Earlier this week, a Russian vessel fired warning shots near a British yacht in the English Channel - a move Mr Starmer says was deeply concerning and reckless - but likely not a hostile act.
“Of course, Russia's involved in a conflict in Ukraine where Russia is the aggressor in Europe. And Russia is responsible for wider proxy attacks across Europe, including in relation to the United Kingdom."
At the summit, Germany and Poland also signed a bilateral defence deal, with Polish defence minister Radoslaw Sikorski sharing Mr Starmer's concerns of the threat posed by Russia, beyond Ukraine.
"We agree that Russia remains the most significant challenge to European security. We should increase sanctions pressure and consistently invest in our defence capabilities.”
As the G7 met in Europe, Russia was courting support from South East Asia, hosting the Russia-ASEAN summit in Kazan.
President Vladimir Putin is meeting with south east Asian leaders including the President of the Philippines and the Prime Ministers of Malaysia,Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam, as well as the Sultan of Brunei.
Addressing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Junior, Mr Putin signalled growing cooperation between the countries.
Clearly, we approach this milestone with a solid foundation of mutually beneficial cooperation built on good traditions, mutual respect, and consideration of each other's legitimate interests. Last year, our trade turnover exceeded half a billion dollars, and this is certainly far from the limit. There is potential for increasing supply volumes of both agricultural products and energy resources.”
The Russia ASEAN Summit runs until Friday.
