Leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized nations are set to hold an emergency summit online on Tuesday, a day after Russia unleashed one of its largest missile strikes on Ukraine since its invasion in late February.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also slated to attend the summit, in an attempt to strengthen cooperation with G-7 member states, amid mounting concern that Russia may use tactical nuclear weapons in the war against its neighbor.
The emergency G-7 meeting is being arranged after Moscow retaliated for an attack late last week on a critical bridge connecting Russia with Crimea that it blamed on Ukraine.
Russia said its missile strikes on Monday against Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities targeted military and energy facilities, while Ukraine said at least 14 people were killed across the country.
In September, Putin declared the annexation of four occupied Ukrainian regions — some 15 percent of its territory — after Moscow claimed local populations voted to join Russia in referendums, with Kyiv and the West condemning them as illegitimate.
Germany, which currently chairs the G-7, said Zelenskyy is expected to participate in Tuesday’s summit, adding he is likely to appear at the outset of the videoconference.
From Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is scheduled to take part in the virtual meeting, days after Japan reopened its embassy in Kyiv last Wednesday following a seven-month closure due to Russia’s invasion.
The six other G-7 nations of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States also resumed diplomatic operations in Ukraine earlier this year.
Kyodo News
