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Russia vowed on Tuesday its assault on Ukraine would proceed till Kyiv surrenders, as world leaders warned that Moscow would pay for its aggression.
The G7 group of the world’s strongest democracies met in Germany to ship a message that they continue to be united behind Ukraine’s embattled authorities.
And, forward of a key assembly of the NATO allies, US President Joe Biden and fellow leaders pledged army help for Kyiv and financial ache for Moscow.
However President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin was unmoved, warning that Ukraine’s forces’ solely choice was to put down their arms within the face of the Russian invasion.
“The Ukrainian facet can cease all the things earlier than the top of at present,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned.
“An order for the nationalist models to put down their arms is critical,” he mentioned, including that Kyiv needed to fulfil an inventory of Moscow’s calls for.
– ‘Every thing burned’ –
The results of Russia‘s four-month-old invasion had been on show within the central Ukrainian metropolis of Kremenchuk, the place shaken civilians recounted Monday’s missile strike on a shopping center.
“Every thing burned, actually all the things, like a spark to a touchpaper. I heard folks screaming. It was horror,” witness Polina Puchintseva instructed AFP.
All that was left of the procuring centre — scene of not less than 18 deaths — was charred particles, chunks of blackened partitions and inexperienced lettering from a smashed retailer entrance.
Russia claims its missile salvo was aimed toward an arms depot — however not one of the civilians who talked to AFP knew of any weapons retailer within the neighbourhood.
And, outdoors Russia, the newest carnage sparked solely Ukrainian fury and western solidarity.
“Indiscriminate assaults on harmless civilians represent a warfare crime,” the G7 leaders mentioned in a press release, condemning the “abominable assault”.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky declared on his social media channels: “Solely complete insane terrorists, who shouldn’t have any place on Earth, can strike missiles at civilian objects.
“Russia should be recognised as a state sponsor of terrorism. The world can and due to this fact should cease Russian terror,” he added.
At their summit within the German Alps, the G7 leaders didn’t go as far as to model Putin a terrorist — however they vowed that Russia, already beneath powerful sanctions, would face extra financial ache.
“The G7 stands united in its assist for Ukraine,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz instructed reporters.
“We are going to proceed to maintain up and drive up the financial and political prices of this warfare for President Putin and his regime.”
– Oil worth cap? –
Over the three days of their summit, the G7 had introduced a number of new measures to place the squeeze on Putin, together with a plan to work in the direction of a worth cap on Russian oil.
The group additionally agreed to impose an import ban on Russian gold. On the similar time, the G7 powers heaped monetary assist on Ukraine, with help now reaching $29.5 billion.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned the West was “to present the Ukrainians the strategic endurance they should attempt to shift the dial, to attempt to change the dynamic of the place”.
After the summit, with G7 leaders who’re additionally in NATO heading on to Madrid, US Nationwide Safety Advisor Jake Sullivan mentioned Biden would announce new long-term army deployments throughout Europe.
The Madrid NATO summit can even attempt to overcome Turkey’s objections to Sweden and Finland becoming a member of the army alliance, and Biden is to speak to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
French President Emmanuel Macron urged NATO allies to indicate they had been united.
“The message that ought to come out of Madrid is a message of unity and power for member nations, in addition to for those who want to be part of and whose purposes we’re supporting,” Macron mentioned.
Sweden and Finland, historically non-aligned militarily, requested to hitch NATO after Putin’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, however Turkey accuses them of harbouring wished Kurdish militants.
“We’re a 70-year-old member of NATO. Turkey just isn’t a rustic that randomly joined NATO,” Erdogan mentioned, earlier than setting off for Madrid and talks together with his NATO, Swedish and Finnish counterparts.
“We are going to see what level they’ve reached… We are not looking for empty phrases. We would like outcomes.”
In the meantime, with fierce artillery duels persevering with within the japanese Donbas area, Ukrainian intelligence mentioned 17 Ukrainians, principally servicemen, had been freed within the sides’ newest prisoner alternate.
The United Nations mentioned that 6.2 million folks are actually estimated to have been displaced inside Ukraine, along with 5.26 million who’ve fled overseas.
“Ukraine now faces a brutality which we haven’t seen in Europe for the reason that Second World Conflict,” NATO Secretary Normal Jens Stoltenberg mentioned as leaders started to collect within the Spanish capital.
– An oligarch’s doubts –
Billionaire Russian industrialist Oleg Deripaska admitted in a uncommon Moscow press convention that the operation in Ukraine might have gone too far.
“Is it in Russia‘s curiosity to destroy Ukraine? In fact not. That may be a colossal mistake,” he mentioned.
After failing to seize Kyiv following their invasion in February, Russian troops have targeted their marketing campaign on seizing a swathe of japanese Ukraine, and have been gaining floor.
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© Agence France-Presse
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