G7 Minus Trump Rallies Behind Ukraine as US Blocks Statement

June 18 ------ Group of Seven leaders minus US President Donald Trump vowed greater support for Ukraine, as the United States blocked a joint call to pressure Russia, which is ramping up attacks on its neighbor. Trump had been due to meet at the G7 summit in Canada with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom he has had a volatile relationship, but flew back to Monday over the Israel-Iran conflict.

Zelensky met the other leaders at a remote lodge in the Canadian Rockies hours after Russia hit Kyiv with one of the worst bombardments since it invaded in February 2022, killing at least 10 people in the capital.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney welcomed Zelensky and announced CAD $2 billion ($1.47B) of military support, including drones and helicopters, for Ukraine. “This underscores the importance of standing in total solidarity with Ukraine,” Carney told him, calling for “maximum pressure against Russia.” But the Group of Seven summit was unable to issue a joint statement on Ukraine as “the Americans wanted to water it down,” a Canadian official said on condition of anonymity.

The United States objected to language condemning Russia, saying it wanted to preserve its role as a mediator with President Vladimir Putin, the official said. “That is not the position that we take, and the other six countries who have also agreed to put strong language in that declaration,” she said. Carney will instead put out a statement on Ukraine as chair of the summit rather than from all the leaders, the official said.

In Washington, the State Department separately condemned the Russian strikes and offered condolences to the victims’ families.

Source: kyivpost.com