KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday his country has won key pledges of further support from world leaders in defending itself from Russia’s now in its fifth year.
Leaders attending the in France promised to strengthen and ensure its , as well as step up international economic pressure on Moscow.
鈥淭he G7 Summit in France delivered important results for Ukraine. Most importantly, we agreed on additional strengthening of Ukraine鈥檚 air defense,鈥� Zelenskyy, who attended the gathering, said on X.
鈥淥ur partners will ensure support for our defense and energy resilience,鈥� he said, adding they will also introduce new sanctions on Russia.
Zelenskyy has spent a lot of time since the war began in 2022 trying to secure international support and isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin diplomatically.
Zelenskyy was expected at a European Union summit in Brussels on Thursday. Ukraine on Monday officially started its , launching a process that could take years even as it fights Russia.
The has distracted Washington from its largely to end the fighting in Ukraine, and Zelenskyy sought to engage with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G7 gathering where key European leaders were also present.
Putin has tried to cut out Europe and Kyiv and negotiate Ukraine鈥檚 future directly with Washington.
G7 leaders praise Ukraine’s battlefield progress
The leaders of Japan, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada and the U.S. threw their support behind Ukraine in a joint statement published overnight.
鈥淲e commend Ukraine for its resilience and progress on the battlefield in recent months and emphasize there is now a new momentum鈥� in Kyiv鈥檚 resistance, it said.
Ukraine鈥檚 performance against Russia鈥檚 bigger army has improved markedly in recent months, Western officials and analysts say.
are pinning down Russian troops on the front line, choking Russian supply lines in occupied regions of Ukraine and deep inside Russia that provides vital revenue for Moscow. That has made the war, which Moscow refers to as a 鈥渟pecial military operation,鈥� more visible to Russians and increased pressure on Putin.
But Ukraine is short of U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles, in part because of American stocks being depleted by the Middle East conflict, leaving it vulnerable to Russia’s ballistic missiles.
The G7 statement promised Ukraine more air defense capabilities, without specifying what type of weapons.
The leaders also said they would consider granting Ukraine licenses for it to manufacture Western weapons. Kyiv has asked for permits to make Patriot missiles itself.
The summit outcome shows that G7 backing for Ukraine is 鈥渁s strong as seldom before鈥� and sends a clear signal to Moscow, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.
Russia says Ukraine attacked a children鈥檚 bus but Kyiv denies it
In Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders both Ukraine and Belarus, Gov. Egor Kovalchuk said a Ukrainian drone struck a bus carrying a children鈥檚 soccer team. A woman among the 44 passengers, which authorities said included 28 children, was killed, according to Kovalchuk. Six people, including four children, were wounded as the bus returned to Russia from Belarus, he said.
But Ukraine鈥檚 General Staff dismissed the Russian allegation, calling it a 鈥渇abrication,鈥� and saying its forces did not conduct drone operations in the Bryansk region at the time. Its statement reiterated that soldiers aim only at military targets.
In other attacks reported Wednesday, a Russian drone struck an equestrian sports school for children in Ukraine鈥檚 northeastern Sumy region, hitting a stable and killing horses, a regional official said.
Staff at the school were not hurt in the nighttime attack, according to preliminary information, said Oleh Hryhorov of the Sumy regional military administration.
Meanwhile, Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 157 Ukrainian drones from late Tuesday until early Wednesday.
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AP reporters Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed.
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