German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, during a press conference in Berlin on December 12, 2022, after the virtual G7 leaders’ summit (AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ)
The leaders of the G7, meeting in a virtual summit on Monday, decided to set up a “platform” responsible for “coordinating financial aid” to Ukraine, announced German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
“The objective is to quickly build this platform with the participation of Ukraine, international financial institutions and other partners”, explained, during a press conference in Berlin, the German leader, comparing the reconstruction of Ukraine to the Marshall Plan set up by the United States to rebuild Europe after the Second World War.
The leaders of the G7 – United States, Germany, Canada, France, Great Britain, Japan and Italy – spoke Monday by videoconference about Ukraine.
A new support conference for Ukraine, on emergency aid and long-term reconstruction of the country, will be held in Paris on Tuesday.
“We are convinced that it was our unity, our determination, which isolated the Russian President (Vladimir Putin) and we again call on Mr. Putin to stop the senseless killings in Ukraine and withdraw his troops,” said Mr. Scholz, whose country chaired the G7 this year.
On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in turn with his American counterparts Joe Biden and French Emmanuel Macron to prepare for this G7 meeting, as well as the Paris conference.
According to the Elysée, “heads of state, heads of government, ministers” from 47 countries, as well as United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, will participate in this international meeting.
The President of the United States reiterated his support for Ukraine on Sunday, according to the White House.
These summits come as Russian forces target basic public service infrastructure, causing, among other things, power cuts affecting millions of people in the middle of winter.
© 2022 AFP
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