Ukraine's President Zelenskyy to attend Japan G7 summit in person on Sunday
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gestures as he speaks during a joint press conference with the German Chancellor following their meeting on May 14, 2023 at the Chancellery in Berlin. (Photo: AFP/John MACDOUGALL)
HIROSHIMA: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Hiroshima to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Sunday, Japan's foreign ministry announced on Saturday (May 20).
He will also hold a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his stay.
Zelenskyy is expected to arrive in Hiroshima, the site of the world's first atomic attack in western Japan, later on Saturday.
He was originally scheduled to join a G7 session online on Friday, but that plan changed after Zelenskyy expressed a “strong wish” to participate in person, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The previously unannounced visit was revealed by officials Friday - a rare long-haul foray for the war-time president and an opportunity to huddle with leaders of seven wealthy democracies that bankroll his country's defence.
Those leaders also provided Kyiv with key breakthroughs, as they agreed new sanctions against Russia and US President Joe Biden said Washington will support providing advanced warplanes, including F-16 fighter jets, to Ukraine.
Zelensky hailed the move as "historic", adding that he looked forward to "discussing the practical implementation".
His Japanese visit comes at a pivotal time in the 15-month-old conflict, as Ukranian troops push back against Russian gains and ready a long-awaited spring offensive.
US President Joe Biden "looks forward" to meeting Zelenskyy in Hiroshima, the White House said Saturday, confirming the pair would meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
"It's a safe bet that President Biden will meet him," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, without offering details on when the talks would happen.
"The president looks forward to the opportunity to be able to sit down face-to-face."
Sullivan said the F-16 transfers would not upset the key balance Washington wants in supporting Ukraine "in a way that avoids World War III".
He said the powerful warplanes would be used only for defence.
"The United States is not enabling or supporting attacks on Russian territory," he said, "and the Ukrainians have consistently indicated that they are prepared to follow through on that."
Responding to criticism that the United States waited for too long before giving allies the green light to send Ukraine their F-16s, Sullivan said the Ukrainians do not need the planes for an expected offensive to drive Russians back in the coming weeks.
Instead, the F-16s and accompanying training for pilots will be part of a long-term rebuilding of the Ukrainian airforce.
"We've reached a moment where it's time to look down the road and to say 'what is Ukraine going to need ... to be able to deter and defend against Russian aggression?'" he said.
"F-16s, fourth-generation fighter aircraft are part of that mix. The obvious first step there is to do the training and then to work with allies, partners and the Ukrainians to determine how to do the actual provision points as we move forward."
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Top Zelensky security aide Oleksii Danilov said the Ukrainian leader would go "wherever the country needs him, in any part of the world", including Hiroshima, a city synonymous with the horrors of war.
"Very important things will be decided there, and therefore the presence, the physical presence of our president is absolutely essential to defend our interests," Danilov said.
The trip will also give Zelenskyy an opportunity to win over powerful unaligned nations joining the summit, including Brazil and India.
The Ukrainian leader had recently undertaken a European tour, reiterating pleas to allies for more military support and tougher sanctions on Russia.
"There are a host of things that Ukraine will continue to need, from artillery shells to sophisticated air defence systems," said Ian Lesser of the German Marshall Fund foreign policy think tank.
Touching on US F-16s, he said there are "very large numbers in Europe that could be sent to Ukraine".
G7 leaders agreed on new sanctions on Friday that they said would "starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment and services that support its war machine".
A bloc statement also pledged to "restrict trade in and use of diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia."
The trade is estimated to be worth about US$4 billion to US$5 billion a year for Russia.
"Russian diamonds are not forever," said EU Council President Charles Michel.
EU member state Belgium is among the largest wholesale buyers of Russian diamonds, along with India and the United Arab Emirates. The United States is a major end-market for the finished product.
The G7 also said they would step up efforts to prevent circumvention of their existing sanctions regime, "including targeting entities transporting material to the front".
