G7 backs Ukraine as Zelenskyy says he wants to end war next year

Ukraine president says Kyiv will do everything imaginable truthful nan warfare pinch Russia ends successful 2025 ‘through negotiated means’.

Leaders of nan G7 confederation person reaffirmed support for Ukraine “for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes” arsenic President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants to extremity nan warfare done talks adjacent year.

The Ukrainian president said successful a power question and reply aired connected Saturday that his broadside will do everything imaginable truthful that nan warfare pinch Russia ends successful 2025 “through negotiated means”.

The erstwhile time he said that nan re-election of Donald Trump arsenic United States president intends that nan warfare will apt extremity “sooner” than it different would have.

Trump has said he wants to extremity nan warfare instantly and Vice President-elect JD Vance has suggested that a Trump management could favour letting Russia support land it has seized connected nan battlefield, but Zelenskyy said he “didn’t perceive thing that goes against our position” erstwhile he said pinch Trump earlier this month.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow will only judge an statement if it sees Kyiv surrender nan Ukrainian territory it has mislaid during nan war.

The Russian leader told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz connected Friday during their first nonstop speech successful almost 2 years that an statement would besides request to address nan “root causes” of nan conflict, which see NATO description .

As each sides hole for nan impacts of a Trump presidency connected nan war, nan G7 affirmed its “support of Kyiv arsenic nan thousandth time of Russia’s warfare of aggression against Ukraine approaches”.

“Russia remains nan sole obstacle to conscionable and lasting peace. The G7 confirms its committedness to imposing terrible costs connected Russia done sanctions, export controls and different effective measures,” nan leaders of nan group said successful a statement.

The intergovernmental group consists of nan US, nan United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada. Italy presently holds nan rotating presidency until nan extremity of nan year.

In beforehand of Trump’s inauguration successful January, Ukraine has been scrambling to unafraid much Western weapons and funding arsenic nan president-elect has heavy criticised US spending connected aiding Ukraine.

The outgoing management of President Joe Biden has pledged to fortify its support for Kyiv successful its remaining clip successful power.

Russian advances

Zelenskyy besides conceded that nan business successful eastbound Ukraine was difficult and Russian forces were making advances.

Moscow’s forces are base down connected Kurakhove, which has a thermal powerfulness works and is only 7 kilometres (four miles) from Pokrovsk, a ample municipality that, for overmuch of nan war, has been 1 of Ukraine’s logistical linchpins.

On nan battlefields of eastbound Ukraine, Russia is now advancing astatine nan fastest complaint since nan war’s earliest days successful 2022.

North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to nan Russian region of Kursk to thief Moscow conflict disconnected a Ukrainian incursion that started successful August.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said connected Saturday that aerial defences downed 15 drones successful Kursk, on pinch aggregate different attacking craft successful respective different regions.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies