Latest: Russia-Ukraine War

Germany currently chairs the group. Brussels NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the 30-nation military alliance will hold a long-planned exercise next week to test the state of readiness of its nuclear capabilities.Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that this is routine training that happens every year to keep our deterrence safe, secure and effective.The exercise, dubbed Steadfast Noon, is held annually and usually runs for about one week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the West to impose even tougher sanctions on Russia's energy sector to stop the flow of money from its oil and gas exports.

Speaking virtually to the leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers on Tuesday, he said this would be a symmetrical response to Russia's attacks on the "energy sector and energy stability of our countries".

"Such steps can bring peace closer," Zelenskyy said. "They will encourage the terrorist state to think about peace, about the unprofitability of war." The Ukrainian president repeated his insistence that no peace talks can be held with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

___ Berlin: Leaders of the Group of Seven industrial powers have pledged after a videoconference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that they "will stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as it takes".

The leaders said in a statement after Tuesday's virtual meeting that they had reassured Zelenskyy they are "undeterred and steadfast in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity".

They said they will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support to Kyiv, and that they are committed to supporting Ukraine in meeting its "winter preparedness needs".

The G-7 leaders condemned this week's barrage of Russian missile strikes against cities across Ukraine and said that "indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilian populations constitute a war crime".

They said: "We will hold President (Vladimir) Putin and those responsible to account." The G-7 is made up of the US, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan. Germany currently chairs the group.

___ Brussels: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the 30-nation military alliance will hold a long-planned exercise next week to test the state of readiness of its nuclear capabilities.

Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Tuesday that "this is routine training that happens every year to keep our deterrence safe, secure and effective".

The exercise, dubbed "Steadfast Noon," is held annually and usually runs for about one week. It involves fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads but doesn't involve any live bombs. Conventional jets, and surveillance and refuelling aircraft also routinely take part.

NATO as an organisation does not possess any nuclear weapons. They remain under the control of three member countries -– the US, UK and France.

Asked whether it was the wrong time to be holding such an exercise, Stoltenberg said: "It would send a very wrong signal now if we suddenly cancelled a routine, long-time planned exercise because of the war in Ukraine." Stoltenberg said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear rhetoric over the war in Ukraine is "irresponsible." He added: "Russia knows that a nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought."

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)