Ukraine-Russia war: G7 countries will back Kyiv 'for as long as it takes'

Leaders of the G7 radical of affluent nations person said they volition backmost Ukraine for "as agelong arsenic it takes" successful the aftermath of Monday's large Russian rocket strikes.

The group, which met for exigency virtual talks, said it would support connected giving subject and humanitarian aid.

Nato besides said it would basal with Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic necessary.

At slightest 19 radical were killed and scores much injured, arsenic Russian missiles deed regions crossed Ukraine, including cardinal Kyiv.

Strikes continued into Tuesday, with civilians advised to enactment successful aerial raid shelters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attacks were successful retaliation for a onslaught connected a cardinal span linking Russia with occupied Crimea, for which helium blamed Ukraine.

Western leaders were speedy to condemn the Russian escalation, and the G7 connected Tuesday reiterated its committedness to Ukraine.

"We volition proceed to supply financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and ineligible enactment and volition basal firmly with Ukraine for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes," the radical said successful a statement.

The bloc besides condemned Mr Putin's caller attempts to annex 4 regions of Ukraine with self-styled referendums.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the G7 for further aerial defence capabilities.

He besides asked the confederation to enactment an planetary ngo connected the Ukraine-Belarus border.

Belarusian person Alexander Lukashenko - a adjacent state of Mr Putin - has agreed to deploy forces with Russian soldiers astatine the borderline with Ukraine, saying this is successful effect to a menace from Kyiv.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the subject bloc would besides proceed to basal by Ukraine.

In a property conference, Mr Stoltenberg suggested that Nato needed to nutrient much weapons, arsenic supplies person tally debased owed to the war. Nato is successful discussions with subordinate nations and defence companies, helium said.

Following indirect threats from Mr Putin, Mr Stoltenberg said the confederation was intimately monitoring Russia's atomic forces, but had not seen immoderate changes successful their posture.

He added that immoderate onslaught connected infrastructure captious to Nato would trigger a "united and determined response". It comes 2 weeks aft a bid of attacks connected the Nord Stream state pipelines, which galore Western leaders indirectly suggested whitethorn person been caused by Russia.

In its connection the G7 said is was "deeply troubled" by these attacks, and welcomed further probe into what caused them.

The G7 is made up of the 7 largest "advanced" economies.

It includes Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US.

China is not included arsenic it is not considered an precocious system successful the mode the different nations are. Russia was portion of the group, but was excluded aft its annexation of Crimea successful 2014.