G7 leaders ‘will stand firmly with Ukraine’

(NewsNation) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers by videoconference Tuesday. After the meeting, the G7 leaders said their countries “will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

In a statement released after the meeting, the group said:

“We condemn these attacks in the strongest possible terms and recall that indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime. We will hold President Putin and those responsible to account.”

The group listed a total of 13 points in the statement, touching upon the its continued support of Ukraine, its condemnation and rejection of Russia’s “illegal attempted annexation of Ukraine’s regions” and the group’s continued financial and military support.

Just a day after Russia unleashed attacks in 15 different cities across Ukraine, more Russian air strikes are targeting Ukrainian cities on Tuesday, with air raid sirens being heard from Kyiv, the country’s capital.

The strikes not only targeted energy infrastructure but also neighborhoods and homes.

At least 14 people were killed and 90 were injured when Russian missiles rained down on multiple Ukrainian cities. President Joe Biden spoke on the phone with Zelenskyy on Monday and vowed to provide support for the country.

“These attacks killed and injured civilians and destroyed targets with no military purpose. They once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr. Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people,” Biden said in response to Putin’s attacks.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also posted to Twitter, saying “The Kremlin’s strikes in Ukraine today hit non-military targets and killed civilians. They demonstrate again who is in the right and who is in the wrong. To the people of Ukraine: The United States stands with you.”

The attacks targeted cities like Kyiv, which saw its first missile strikes since June on Monday. Russia fired dozens of missiles which led to damaged roads and railways, power outages and many people killed or wounded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this all happened in retaliation for the Crimea bridge explosion that happened over the weekend, which cut off the major supply route linking Russia to Crimea.

The U.S. has continued to promise military support to Ukraine, including advanced air systems and, in total, has provided over $15 billion in military aid to the country since the war began.

Aside from the G7 meeting, the United Nations plans to hold a vote sometime this week, possibly as soon as today. World leaders will decide on whether to condemn Russia’s latest annexations of parts of Ukraine and declare them illegal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.