Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western leaders to put a big push to end the war with Russia before winter sets in.
The Ukrainian president told G7 leaders yesterday that the cold-weather fighting conditions would make it more difficult for his troops to resist the Russian invasion as they pledged to support his campaign for as long as it took to achieve a to achieve “strong position”.
The war has dominated this week’s summit, with Boris Johnson, Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and other leaders signing a joint statement condemning Vladimir Putin, proposing new sanctions and begging to help rebuild the country if war continues. is over.
Johnson said yesterday that the “price of freedom is worth paying” when he compared Ukrainians’ resistance to the Russian invasion to the Allied struggle against Nazi Germany. The prime minister also said a Russian victory would mean “long-term instability” and “fear around the world”, as he argued that supporting Mr Zelensky was also in the UK’s strategic interest.
“The point I’d like to make people is that I think sometimes the price of freedom is worth it,” he told the BBC.
And remember, it took a long time for the mid-century democracies to recognize the need to resist tyranny and aggression.
“It took them a lot of time, it was very expensive, but what it eventually bought, with the defeat of the dictators, especially of Nazi Germany, it bought decades and decades of stability [and] a world order based on a rules-based international system.
“And that’s worth protecting, that’s worth defending, that brings long-term prosperity.”
While the G7 is now determined not to end the war that would see Ukrainian territory handed over to Russia early, leaders are concerned that the winter months will be favorable for Putin’s forces.
Mr Zelensky urged his colleagues to “don’t let it drag on into winter” and emphasized the need to take “severe” punitive measures against Russia.
“That is clearly a factor in our own thinking,” a Downing Street spokesman said last night. “It is correct to say that the winter months add an advantage.”
Last night’s joint statement, in which the G7 pledged to support Ukraine “as long as necessary”, was a symbolic victory for Johnson, who had previously warned of “Ukraine fatigue” and hinted that some leaders, including Mr Macron, willing to support a peace agreement that will favor Mr Putin if it ends the war early. Mr Johnson said what “really struck” him at the summit was the “astonishing consistency of our determination, the continued unity of the G7”.
“That’s definitely hinted at in the conversation over the past few days. I think there’s a reason for that. The logic of the position is still so clear,” he said.
“There is no deal that President Zelensky can really do, in those circumstances the G7, supporters of Ukraine around the world, must continue to help the Ukrainians rebuild their economy, get their grain out, export their grain and of course we need to help them protect themselves and we will continue to do so.” A Downing Street spokesman added: “At the beginning of this conflict, we saw predictions that Russia would take all of Ukraine within days, and that is because of the courage of the Ukrainian people, the leadership of President Zelensky and the support of countries as the UK which has been proven not to be the case.
“So we share President Zelensky’s view that it is right to come to a conclusion that is in the best interests of Ukrainians in the shortest possible time.”
Government sources said Mr Johnson and Mr Macron are now on better terms than ever, with the countries set to host a bilateral meeting in Paris in the coming months.
Macron is said to have told Johnson, “My people love your people.” Mr Johnson replied, “Oh my God. My people love your people too.”
The summit was also a boon to British relations with Canada. Yesterday morning, Mr Johnson shared a joke with Justin Trudeau as he swam in a Bavarian lake as the Canadian Prime Minister ran around it.
A source with a UK delegation said there was “continuous chatter” between the two men. The leaders and their spouses met last night for a “leaders BBQ” at the Schloss Elmau resort in Germany.
While the G7 summit focused largely on economic issues, countries expressed their willingness to increase military support ahead of today’s NATO conference in Madrid.
Joe Biden’s national security adviser said the US planned to send Ukraine advanced anti-aircraft missiles to defend itself against Russian attacks.
“I can confirm that we are in fact finalizing a package that includes advanced air defense capabilities,” Jake Sullivan told reporters in Germany, where President Biden attended the G7 summit.
Mr Sullivan said Mr Biden had told Mr Zelensky that the United States was preparing a shipment of “advanced medium and long range air defense capabilities”. He said additional aid being prepared in response to “urgent need” includes artillery ammunition and counter-battery radar systems, which are used to locate the source of enemy artillery fire.
Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]