Canada calls for stronger G7 response to Ukraine attacks

Anand will be meeting with her counterparts this weekend in Paris and indicated Friday that the ongoing Russian targeting of civilians should also be addressed at the upcoming G20 summit near Miami later this year.

The death toll from Russia’s bombing earlier this week in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region has risen to 53, marking it as one of the deadliest incidents affecting civilians this year.

Renewed power outages are impacting seven Ukrainian regions due to Russian attacks on the nation’s energy infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s deputy energy minister.

Anand stated that the recent attacks, which occurred while U.S. First Lady Melania Trump was attempting to facilitate mediation, “necessitates collective action beyond what is currently being offered” in terms of sanctions, economic support, and military assistance.

“I will be raising the need for collective effort with my G7 counterparts,” Anand said following a meeting in Ottawa with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger.

U.S. President Donald Trump has extended an invitation to Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 world leaders’ meeting in December at his Doral, Florida, golf club. Putin has yet to confirm his attendance.

Anand emphasized the importance of confronting Russia during the G20 summit. “At the G20 in December, this issue must be raised amongst countries at the table, especially given that Russia will be represented there and it will be an opportunity to speak directly to them,” she said.

During a recent G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, Anand directly confronted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, condemning Russia’s “horrific crimes” and full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Anand and several European ministers declined to participate in a customary group photograph due to her unwillingness to be pictured alongside Lavrov.

Meinl-Reisinger expressed particular concern regarding the recent strikes in Zaporizhzhia, given the region’s location as host to Ukraine’s largest nuclear power complex, which has been under Russian occupation since the beginning of the invasion.

“There’s one person only to decide to stop the war and it would stop immediately. This is Vladimir Putin,” Meinl-Reisinger stated. “He is not able to win this war militarily. So we have to continue to put pressure that he is ready to negotiate for real this time.”