At their conference in Germany, the leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies declared they would maintain sanctions against Russia for as long as required and step up international pressure on Belarus, a close friend of President Vladimir Putin.
The G7 nations pledged their support for Ukraine for as long as it takes, and they added in a statement following a call from their leaders that any use of nuclear weapons by Russia would have dire repercussions.
"We reassured President Zelenskiy that we are undeterred and steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the joint statement said.
The statement denounced recent Russian missile assaults on Ukraine and said that targeting civilians was illegal and that President Putin and others responsible, would be held accountable.
The "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric" of Russia was also criticized by leaders. "We deplore deliberate Russian escalatory steps, including the partial mobilization of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences," the statement said.
As Zelenskiy addressed the leaders via video link, the United States announced it was completing a weapons package for Ukraine that would include long-range air-defense systems. Following the loss of the now-destroyed city of Sievierodonetsk after weeks of bombing and street warfare, Ukraine suffered another trying day on the front lines.
"Imagine if we allowed Putin to get away with the violent acquisition of huge chunks of another country, sovereign, independent territory," former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said. "The lessons for that would be absolutely chilling. The point I would make to people is I think that sometimes the price of freedom is worth paying."
The governor of the eastern Luhansk province, Serhiy Gaidai, described the destruction to Lysychansk, the twin city located close across the Siverskyi Donets River, as "catastrophic." He advised the people to leave immediately. The final major city still controlled by Ukraine is Lysychansk in Luhansk, which makes up half of the industrial Donbas region. Lysychansk was a top target for the Kremlin after Russian soldiers were unable to capture Kyiv early on in the war, which is now in its fifth month.
At least 11 people were killed and 40 were injured when two Russian missiles targeted a retail mall in the central city of Kremenchuk, southeast of Kiev, according to senior Ukrainian officials. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, stated on Telegram that "It's useless to hope for decency and humanity from Russia."
