Moscow [Russia], June 17: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is calling on the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrial nations to further increase the pressure on Moscow to improve the prospects for at least a ceasefire as Russia's full-scale invasion of his country rages on.
Further sanctions are necessary, in particular on energy and frozen assets, Zelensky said on Monday as he met Austrian leaders during a stopover in Vienna on his way to the G7 summit in Canada.
The Ukrainian president also said he was confident that the United States would continue to supply weapons to Kiev. "We are talking to [US President Donald] Trump about military aid and weapons that we are prepared to buy," he said.
Work must be done to ensure that the alliance between the US and Europe remains intact, he added.
Zelensky also again rejected any calls for Ukrainian neutrality, saying that when Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, Ukraine's lack of alliances was precisely the problem. "We were virtually neutral," Zelensky said.
At the time, Ukraine did not have enough determination and military strength to push back the Russian advance, Zelensky said. "We want this war to end, but not after an ultimatum and not at the price of Ukraine's independence," he said.
President Alexander Van der Bellen reaffirmed Austria's clear support for Ukraine. "The people of Ukraine do not want to be Russian subjects," he said.
Austria's humanitarian, financial and political support for Ukraine is not a violation of the Alpine republic's neutrality, he added.
Source: Qatar Tribune
