Ukraine will remain at the top of the G7 foreign ministers' agenda at their meeting in Tokyo on 7-8 November.

Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s Foreign Minister, stressed that should the G7 countries withdraw their support for Kyiv, Russian President Vladimir Putin will "exploit this mercilessly – with dire consequences for the people of Ukraine and Europe", while players in other world regions will also draw the "wrong conclusions".

"That's why it is so important that we as the G7 remain resolutely and comprehensively committed to supporting Ukraine. That is why, for example, we will continue to work together on the air defence shield for Ukraine," Baerbock said.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stressed that the cost of an air defence missile is several times less than repairing the damage caused by a hit to the energy infrastructure, so investing in air defence right away makes more sense.

Air defence was reportedly one of the key topics of the October Ramstein-format meeting, and since then, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised the issue of strengthening air defence in conversations with many leaders.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said air defence equipment would be a vital element of the winter aid package for Ukraine.

The latest batch of German military aid to Ukraine includes another air defence system, IRIS-T.