G7 Lays out Demands for Lukashenko as Russia Fires Missiles from Belarus

The leaders of all Group of Seven (G7) countries broadly denounced Russia's most recent escalation of its war in Ukraine as a potential war crime following the widespread shelling of civilian targets across the country that left nearly two dozen dead and dozens more injured.

In a joint statement Tuesday, the G7 alliance, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the European Union, said they would hold Russian President Vladimir Putin "to account" for his country's recent strikes.

The G7 added that it would continue to financially support Ukrainian resistance forces "for as long as it takes" as they continue to fight back against Russian forces.

It also condemned the involvement of Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko after more than two dozen missiles were fired at Ukrainian targets from the country, which the G7 said "constitutes the most recent example of the Belarusian regime's complicity with Russia."

"We reassured [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky] that we are undeterred and steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement read. "We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support and will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We are committed to supporting Ukraine in meeting its winter preparedness needs."

The G7 pledge also included the threat of additional economic sanctions toward Russia and countries that have continued to aid its war in Ukraine, as well as hints of possible retaliation if Russia were to use chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in the country, writing that it "would be met with severe consequences."

However, the statement—drafted following the first virtual meeting of G7 leaders since the start of the war—fell short of implying direct military involvement by any of the countries amid Putin's ongoing threats to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine if NATO or its allies were to intervene in the conflict.

While President Joe Biden has pledged to provide Ukraine with missile defense systems to help thwart future air strikes, Zelensky called on G7 countries Tuesday to provide the country with the financial means to create an "air shield" over the entire country.

Though Tuesday's statement did not address Zelensky's request, some countries, like Germany, have already pledged a number of surface-air defenses to the Ukrainian government earlier this year.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Newsweek on Tuesday that the U.S. has transferred more than 1,400 Stinger anti-air systems to Ukraine along with air surveillance and multi-mission radars, while orders have been placed for eight new short-to-medium-range defense systems the coalition is "working to manufacture and deliver as quickly as possible."

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is expected to continue ongoing discussions of increased assistance efforts at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels on Wednesday.

And while U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price highlighted numerous examples of U.S. government aid provided to Ukraine over the past year, he insisted a conclusion to the war would need to come via diplomatic solution, even as he asserted U.S. intelligence has indicated Russia has committed war crimes.

"We're not going to be prescriptive for the very reason that this is ultimately going to be in negotiation and dialogue and diplomacy between Ukraine and Russia," Price told reporters Tuesday. "But I can tell you what gives us great pause or very little confidence that this is [a legitimate effort] on the part of the Russian Federation: It's the bombed-out playgrounds, the bombed schools, it's the dead Ukrainian civilians who were killed in what appeared to have been, in some cases, indiscriminate strikes within hours of this proposal.

"If the Russians want to signal that they're serious about dialogue and diplomacy, perhaps—and again, without being prescriptive—but perhaps a good first step would be to stop the kind of brutal assault followed by what appears to be nothing more than a few words," he added.

But the pledge also comes amid speculation the Russian war effort has begun flailing under the weight of economic sanctions and domestic unrest within the country as popular support for the war has begun to wane.

Meanwhile, the United Nations is preparing to consider a draft resolution among its members condemning Russia's annexation of four occupied territories in eastern Ukraine. Early Tuesday, the U.N. rejected calls for the ballot to be conducted in secret amid allegations Russia—which used its vote to block a similar resolution earlier this year—was pressuring other countries to either abstain or vote against the resolution.

"The only country intimidating countries on how to vote is Russia," Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters Tuesday morning. "We don't use intimidation tactics. Our message to all countries is that this is about the U.N. charter."

"This is an attack on all the values that we stand for," she added. "It is not a competition between Russia and the United States. It is not taking sides. It's about defending the right for Ukraine to exist."

Update 10/11/22, 2:04 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and background.