Leaders of the G7 have pledged in a statement at a summit in France to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences.
Support for Ukraine remained one of the central themes of the summit. Since the beginning of the war, G7 countries have provided Kyiv with military, financial and humanitarian assistance while coordinating sanctions intended to limit Russia’s access to international finance, technology and energy revenues. As the U.S. under Trump has cut back aid to Ukraine, France and its European allies are now the biggest providers of military and financial support to Kyiv.
“We, the Leaders of the G7, stand united in our unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
“To support and accelerate this new momentum, we agree to increase the delivery of air defence capacities, additional systems and interceptors, and long-range capabilities.”
G7 leaders
They added that the bloc, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, was “ready to consider extending to Ukraine the benefit of licenses to allow for an increase in Ukraine’s military production.”
The latest pledge to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences comes as Russia continues to carry out aerial attacks using missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure. Air defence systems supplied by Western partners have played an important role in intercepting many of these attacks, although Ukrainian officials have continued to request additional equipment to protect civilian populations and strategic facilities.
While the leaders’ statement reaffirmed continued military and economic support for Ukraine, it did not specify the exact scale or timeline of the additional air defence assistance.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who joined the summit yesterday and also held bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been pressing allies for more than a year to allow Ukraine to produce its own interceptors because of a shortage of US anti-ballistic systems and interceptors.
G7 Leaders Commit To Increase Pressure On Russian War Economy
Moreover, the G7 said that following a deal between the United States and Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, sanctions could be strengthened on Russian oil and gas. “We commit to increase the pressure on the Russian war economy,” the leaders’ statement said.
According to the statement, the leaders believe the current geopolitical environment presents an opportunity to move forward with additional measures.
“In this context, we will strengthen our sanctions, including those on the oil and gas sectors. We consider this the right moment to proceed with additional measures, as President Trump has delivered a deal that we support in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.”
G7 Leaders
By linking the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz with new sanctions on Russia, G7 leaders suggested that improved stability in global energy supplies could provide greater flexibility to impose additional restrictions on Russian energy exports without causing major disruptions to international markets.
Yesterday, President Donald Trump hinted that the United States could soon reimpose sanctions on Russian oil shipments.
Later today, in a central theme of France’s G7 presidency, leaders will turn their attention to critical minerals and global economic imbalances. According to diplomats, France is pushing partners to agree on a statement on critical minerals that could include measures to help the West reduce its reliance on China and shield investors from countermeasures and dumping.
The issue of critical minerals has gained increasing importance as governments seek to secure reliable supplies of materials essential for clean energy technologies, electric vehicles, semiconductors and advanced defence systems.
Leaders are expected to explore measures aimed at promoting fair competition, addressing market distortions and strengthening economic resilience amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and evolving trade relationships
G7 leaders were also due to discuss artificial intelligence over lunch today. OpenAI founder Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei were expected to attend.
Nonetheless, the joint statement underscores the group’s intention to continue using coordinated diplomatic, military and economic measures in response to Russia’s actions while addressing wider global challenges through cooperation among the world’s leading advanced economies.
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