G7 to stand with Ukraine ‍‍`for as long as it takes‍‍`

The Group of Seven club of wealthy nations on Monday vowed to stand with Ukraine "for as long as it takes", promising to tighten the squeeze on Russia‍‍`s finances with new sanctions that include a proposal to cap the price of Russian oil.

The announcement came after Ukraine‍‍`s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, addressing G7 leaders at their summit in the Bavarian Alps via a video link, asked for weapons and air defences to gain the upper hand in the war against Russia within months.

But efforts to rally the Global South to the Ukrainian cause were less successful, with five developing countries invited to partner with the rich country club signing up only to a mildly worded statement hailing democracy‍‍`s "courageous defenders" without referring explicitly to Russia‍‍`s invasion of Ukraine.

The G7 leaders‍‍` own statement aimed to signal that its members were ready to back Ukraine for the long haul, at a time when soaring inflation and energy shortages - fuelled by Russia‍‍`s invasion - have tested the West‍‍`s sanctions resolve.

"We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military and diplomatic support and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," the statement said.

After missiles rained down on Kyiv on Sunday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States was readying a new weapons package for Ukraine that included long-range air defences and ammunition.

In reference to Zelenskiy‍‍`s address, Sullivan told reporters: "At the top of his mind was the set of missile strikes that took place in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine and his desire to get additional air defence capabilities that could shoot down Russian missiles out of the sky."

The G7 countries said they were ready to provide security commitments in a post-war settlement while stressing, after Ukraine had earlier voiced misgivings, that it was up to Kyiv to decide a future peace deal with Russia.

The G7 countries said they had also pledged or were ready to grant up to $29.5 billion for Ukraine.