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KYIV, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy held talks with U.S. President Joe Biden and with the leaders of Turkey and France connected Sunday, stepping up diplomatic enactment astir a warfare started by Russia astir 10 months ago.
"We are perpetually moving with partners," Zelenskiy said successful his nightly video address, adding that helium expects immoderate "important results" adjacent week from a bid of planetary events that volition tackle the concern successful Ukraine.
While Zelenskiy has held galore talks with Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan since Russian forces invaded successful precocious February, the accumulation of discussions successful conscionable 1 time is not a regular event.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz volition clasp connected Monday an online gathering with G7 leaders and European Union overseas ministers to effort to hold connected further sanctions connected Russia and Iran, and connected further assistance oregon arms deliveries to Ukraine.
The projected EU sanctions would target Iran implicit quality rights abuses successful its crackdown connected anti-government protesters and the proviso of drones to Russia, portion the ninth bundle of Russia sanctions would spot astir 200 much individuals and entities connected the EU sanctions list.
"The G7 gathering volition beryllium held contiguous - Ukraine volition enactment and present we person coordinated our positions with America," Zelenskiy said aft his telephone with Biden.
Zelenskiy besides said that helium talked with the U.S. president astir Ukraine's request for effectual anti-aircraft defence systems to support the population.
Biden told Zelenskiy Washington is prioritising efforts to boost Ukraine's aerial defence done the assistance it is offering, the White House said successful a readout.
Earlier, Zelenskiy said that helium held "a precise meaningful" speech with Macron connected "defence, energy, economy, diplomacy" that lasted much than an hr and "very specific" talks with Erdogan connected assuring Ukraine's atom exports.
Turkey, which acted arsenic a mediator successful bid talks successful the aboriginal months of the war, besides worked alongside the United Nations successful a atom deal, which opened up Ukrainian ports for exports successful July aft a six-month de facto Russian blockade.
Erdogan's bureau said the Turkish person had a telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Sunday, successful which helium had called for a quick extremity to the conflict.
The Kremlin said successful a connection that successful summation to talking astir vigor and grain, Putin has besides "outlined his cardinal appraisal of the concern surrounding Ukraine."
Putin said past week that Moscow's near-total nonaccomplishment of spot successful the West would marque an eventual colony implicit Ukraine overmuch harder to scope and warned of a protracted war.
Macron has championed diplomacy successful the conflict. But immoderate Western allies, Kyiv and the Baltic countries person been unnerved by the French president's mixed messages. Macron has said it was up to Kyiv to determine erstwhile to negociate with Moscow, portion besides saying that information guarantees were needed for Russia.
There are nary bid talks and nary extremity successful show to the deadliest struggle successful Europe since World War Two, which Moscow calls a "special subject operation" and Ukraine and its allies telephone an unprovoked enactment of aggression.
Moscow shows nary signs of being acceptable to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and pre-war borders, saying the 4 regions it claims to person annexed from Ukraine successful September are portion of Russia "forever." The authorities successful Kyiv has ruled retired conceding immoderate onshore to Russia successful instrumentality for peace.
On the crushed successful Ukraine, the full eastbound beforehand enactment has been continuously shelled with dense warring taking spot betwixt the Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Moscow has besides been targeting Ukraine's vigor infrastructure with ample waves of rocket and drone strikes since October, astatine times cutting disconnected electricity for millions of civilians successful winter, erstwhile mean temperatures tin beryllium respective degrees beneath zero Celsius.
Reporting by Nick Starkov successful Kyiv; Additional reporting by Ronald Popeski successful Winnipeg, Canada; Writing by Lidia Kelly; editing by Grant McCool & Simon Cameron-Moore
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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