G7 countries pledge: – Support for Kiev remains “unshakable”

During their two-day deliberations in Münster, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and her colleagues from the US, Britain, France, Italy, Japan and Canada left no doubts about their determination to continue to support Ukraine. “Every day of this brutal attack on innocent people in Ukraine means suffering, death and destruction,” Baerbock said. “And even in the current situation, where the Russian regime is trying to bomb Ukraine with targeted attacks on infrastructure in the dark and cold, we stand behind Ukraine.”

US Secretary of State: Russians want to ‘freeze’ Ukrainians
In view of the setbacks to the Russian military, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin of trying to “freeze Ukraine to the point of submission” with attacks on civilian infrastructure. The G7 countries have agreed on coordinated support measures for rebuilding Ukraine’s energy and water infrastructure. “Winter Packages” are now being put together to provide the country with generators, living containers, water pumps and plumbing.

The G7 foreign ministers condemned Russia’s threats of possible use of nuclear weapons as “unacceptable”. In their closing statement, they also called on leaders in Moscow to extend the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. They supported an appeal by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to Moscow. “We condemn Russia’s attempts to use energy and food exports as a means of geopolitical pressure,” the foreign ministers stressed.

Grain deal ends on November 19
Shipments of grain from Ukraine through a secured corridor in the Black Sea resumed Thursday after Russia temporarily suspended the agreement. However, Moscow left open whether it would agree to an extension of the agreement, which expires on November 19.