The United States and its fellow G7 countries have agreed to strengthen sanctions on Russia, including measures targeting the oil and gas sectors, according to a statement released early Wednesday by leaders at their summit in the French town of Évian.
The Group of Seven said it would also increase deliveries of long-range weapons and air defence capabilities to Kiev as part of efforts to step up pressure on Moscow and help bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
The G7 - comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the US - said the additional support would build on what it described as new momentum generated by Ukrainian progress on the battlefield in recent months.
The statement said the leaders considered it the "right moment" to take additional measures against Russia following the US-Iran deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In addition to further weapons deliveries, the G7 pledged more support to help Ukraine get through the coming winter. They also said they would consider extending licences to Ukraine to increase the country's military production.
French President Emmanuel Macron described the summit as a "moment of strategic awakening." The US, Canada, Japan and the European countries had jointly decided to stand by Ukraine, Macron said in a video address posted on Instagram.
Even before the statement was released, summit participants had expressed satisfaction with the talks on the Ukraine war.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed optimism after talks with Donald Trump, saying the US president's assertion that "Russia must end this war" was a positive signal.
Merz described the summit as a "day of hope" and said of Ukraine's current situation: "That may open up, perhaps for the first time, a chance for peace."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the summit as a guest.
