Ukraine president again presses West for advanced weapons

Foreign minister Simon Coveney sharply condemned “deliberate targeting by Russia of civilians in terms of inflicting suffering on a broad population”.

A woman passes by an apartment building damaged following by Russian shelling in Bakhmut in the Donetsk region, Ukraine (Andriy Andriyenko/AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pressed western leaders to provide more advanced weapons to help his country in its war with Russia, and repeated his calls for Russian forces to withdraw from occupied areas of Ukraine, suggesting Christmas as a retreat date.

During a video conference, Mr Zelenskyy told host Germany and other leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers: “It would be right to begin the withdrawal of Russian troops from the internationally recognised territory of Ukraine this Christmas.