Ukraine’s foreign minister presses for support at G7 as Russia targets the energy grid

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ontario (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies met with Ukraine’s foreign minister on Wednesday as Kyiv tries to fend off Russian aerial attacks that have brought rolling blackouts across the country.

Ukraine must overcome what will be a “very difficult, very tough winter,” Andriy Sybiha said at the start of a meeting on Ukraine and defense cooperation.

“We need the support of our partners,” Sybiha said at the gathering attended by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterparts. “We have to move forward to pressure Russia, to raise the price for the aggression, for Russia, for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, to end this war.”

Canada announced more sanctions against Russia and the United Kingdom a day earlier pledged money for Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Rubio made no immediate announcements about new U.S. initiatives but said on social media that the meeting delved into ways “to strengthen Ukraine’s defense and find an end to this bloody conflict.”

“The United States remains steadfast in working with our partners to encourage Russia to pursue diplomacy and engage directly with Ukraine for a durable and lasting peace,” he posted on X.

American support for Ukraine under Republican President Donald Trump and his relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been erratic and marked by repeated policy changes during unsuccessful U.S. efforts to bring Zelenskyy and Putin together to agree on a peace deal.

U.S. arms transfers to Ukraine have waxed and waned. Trump, at several points, has said Ukraine must be prepared to cede territory that Russia has occupied since the start of the conflict in early 2022, only later to suggest that Ukraine is capable of retaking those areas — and then back once more to doubting Kyiv could win.

READ MORE: EU tightens visa restrictions on Russian nationals over Ukraine war, potential security risks

The Ukraine talks were part of the G7 meeting that Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is hosting in southern Ontario as tensions rise between the U.S. and traditional allies such as Canada over defense spending, trade and uncertainty over Trump’s ceasefire plan in Gaza and his Russia-Ukraine peace efforts.

“We are doing whatever is necessary to support Ukraine,” Anand said.

Zelenskyy has said he wants to order 25 Patriot air defense systems from the United States. Russian missile and drone strikes on the power grid have coincided with Ukraine’s efforts to hold back a Russian battlefield push aimed at capturing the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk.

The new Canadian sanctions on Russia target 13 people and 11 entities, including several involved in the development and deployment of Moscow’s drone program.

“Those who enable Russia’s war will face consequences,” Anand said.

Britain says it will send 13 million pounds ($17 million) to help patch up Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The money will go toward repairs to power, heating and water supplies and humanitarian support for Ukrainians.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who made the announcement before the meeting, said Putin “is trying to plunge Ukraine into darkness and the cold as winter approaches” but the British support will help keep the lights and heating on.

Canada recently made a similar announcement.

The two-day meeting in Niagara-on-the-Lake, near the U.S. border, comes after Trump ended trade talks with Canada because the Ontario provincial government ran an anti-tariff advertisement in the U.S. that upset him. That followed a spring of acrimony, since abated, over the president’s insistence that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state.

Anand met with Rubio, but she earlier noted that a different minister leads the trade issue, and neither diplomat responded when asked about Canada-U.S. trade talks resuming. Trump has placed greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations’ trade policies than on collaboration with G7 allies.

Rubio had brief talks with Cooper, India’s Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and South Korea’s Cho Hyun. The State Department had no immediate comment on the substance of those discussions.

The G7 comprises Canada, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Anand also invited the foreign ministers of Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine to the meeting, which began Tuesday.