Zelensky seeks $40bn a year for ‘resilience'
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has called on Western donors to commit $40 billion annually to prop up his country's budget, following a high-profile snub by US President Donald Trump at the G7 summit.
Zelensky made the appeal Tuesday during the gathering in Kananaskis, Canada, where he failed to get an audience with Trump, who left early.
Posting a photo on social media of himself speaking to six leaders, Zelensky demanded sustained donations. 'It's crucial to have $40 billion annually in budgetary support for Ukraine – to ensure our resilience and the ability of our country to carry on,' he said, urging the US to approve the aid.
Trump 'does not apply strong enough pressure on Russia,' Zelensky claimed, despite Kiev purportedly defending Washington's global interests. He called on other G7 members to lobby the US leader, while advocating investment in Ukraine's arms production and new sanctions against Russia.
The summit's results have been reported as a disappointment for Kiev and have cast doubt on the prospects of a Trump-Zelensky meeting at a NATO leaders summit scheduled for next Tuesday.
'It is a permanent hazard that Ukraine is a victim of events and Trump's short attention span,' a Ukrainian official told The Guardian. 'There had been all sorts of promises for this summit – including new US arms deliveries being offered.'
G7 leaders did not issue a joint statement on Ukraine, reportedly due to Trump's refusal to endorse language critical of Russia. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's chair summary noted that participants supported Trump's efforts to broker a 'just and lasting peace in Ukraine' and backed Kiev's call for an unconditional ceasefire.
Russian officials have dismissed the Ukrainian demand as a ploy to give Kiev's forces time to regroup. During recent peace talks in Istanbul, Moscow offered two options for a conditional truce: A withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from territories that have joined Russia, or a halt to Ukraine's military mobilization and Western arms deliveries. Kiev rejected both proposals.
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