G7 leaders, Zelensky to discuss Ukraine developments on Tuesday

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that he had spoken with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron to urge a tough response against Moscow after strikes rocked cities across his country.

Zelensky said in a series of tweets that with Scholz he had discussed “increasing pressure” on Russia and with Macron that he had talked about “strengthening of our air defense, the need for a tough European and international reaction, as well as increased pressure on the Russian Federation.”

Macron tells Zelensky of ‘extreme concern’, pledges more military aid

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his “extreme concern” about Russian strikes on Ukraine on Monday, during a call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and promised that France would increase military aid.

“The president spoke of his extreme concern about strikes that have caused civilian victims,” Macron’s office said in a statement. 

“He reaffirmed his full and complete support for President Zelensky and the commitment of France to increase its support for Ukraine, in line with the needs expressed by Kyiv, including in terms of military equipment.”

France has faced repeated criticism over its lower level of military support to Ukraine compared with allies.

According to an August ranking by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, France’s 233 million euros ($230 million) of military aid place it 11th in the world, well behind the United States (25 billion euros), Britain (four billion euros) and Poland (1.8 billion euros).

But officials and experts say capacity rather than political will is at the root of the differences, and French contributions to European Union funds for Ukraine should be included in the overall figure for its aid.

Paris has sent 18 of its highly prized truck-mounted Caesar cannons to Ukraine and is planning to deliver more of the artillery pieces.

Power cuts reported in several Ukraine regions after attacks

Power outages were reported in several regions across Ukraine following multiple Russian strikes on Monday morning that targeted energy infrastructure, Ukrainian regional officials said. 

In the east, electricity cuts hit Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv and its surrounding region, plus the northeastern Sumy region, Zhytomyr region in the north and Khmelnitskyi region in the west.

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