Zelenskyy to address urgent G7 meeting following missile attacks on Ukraine's key cities

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the Group of Seven (G7) will conduct an emergency meeting in the wake of the multiple strikes that rattled the Ukrainian cities including Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipro on Monday. Zelenskyy also confirmed that he spoke to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and will be addressing the urgent meeting. 

“Agreed with Chancellor @OlafScholz of holding presidency of #G7 on an urgent meeting of the Group. My speech is scheduled, in which I'll tell about the terrorist attacks by RF. We also discussed the issue of increasing pressure on RF & aid in restoring damaged infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said on Twitter. 

Members of the G7 and Zelenskiy will hold emergency talks on the situation in Ukraine tomorrow, 11 October, a German government spokesperson has confirmed.

The G7 will start talks via video link at 2pm local time (1200 GMT) on Tuesday, the spokesperson added.

Ukrainian officials talk to global leaders following missile attacks

The Ukrainian President also held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, where the duo “discussed the strengthening of our air defence, the need for a tough European and international reaction, as well as increased pressure on the Russian Federation. France stands with Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine parliament speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk asked his G7 nation equivalents if it’s time to designate Russia as a terrorist state after Monday’s missile attacks. “Dear colleagues, Speakers (Presidents) of #G7 Parliaments. Today, russia once again showed the whole world that it is a terrorist state. Maybe it's time to designate it?,” he wrote on Twitter, tagging US democratic party House speaker Nancy Pelosi, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas, National Assembly of France President Yaël Braun-Pivet, House of Commons of Canada Speaker Anthony Rota and UK’s House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle. 

Furthermore, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke to his Turkish equivalent Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who according to Kuleba, had “strongly condemned Russian strikes and affirmed that Turkey will continue its support for Ukraine.”

As several missiles hit key Ukrainian cities, President Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to wipe Ukraine “off the face of the earth. “They are trying to destroy us and wipe us off the face of the earth. Destroy our people who are sleeping at home in Zaporizhzhia. Kill people who go to work in Dnipro and Kyiv. The air alarm does not subside throughout Ukraine. There are missiles hitting. Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded. Please do not leave shelters. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Let’s hold on and be strong,” he said on Telegram.