HIROSHIMA, Japan – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will plead for diplomatic and military support in Hiroshima on Sunday as he addresses G7 allies and some countries that have declined to condemn Russia’s invasion.
In a surprise visit to a city synonymous with the horrors of nuclear war, Zelensky began his day with G7 leaders.
Later he will address assembled leaders from India, Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia and is expected to deliver a speech rallying support for Ukraine’s defense against Moscow’s 15-month onslaught.
His appearance at the G7 summit has focused attention on Russia’s aggression, and came after a victory in his long-running campaign to win US support for the supply of US-made advanced fighter jets.
Zelensky stepped down the stairs of a French government plane on Saturday and began a grueling schedule of talks, meeting leaders from Europe, India, Indonesia and Canada for several hours.
While Zelensky has long been assured of the support of G7 supporters, he is on shakier ground in Hiroshima with others, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has accused the West of “encouraging war”. and has yet to confirm this even by meeting his Ukrainian counterpart.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky talks with France’s President Emmanuel Macron (not pictured) during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit in Hiroshima on May 20, 2023. (Ludovic Marin / AFP)
The reception was warmly received by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who told Zelensky: “I understand very well your pain and the pain of Ukrainian citizens.”
I can assure you that India and I personally will do everything we can to solve this problem.
Zelensky offered an upbeat assessment of the encounter, saying he believed India would “participate in the restoration of the rules-based international order that all free nations clearly need.”
French President Emmanuel Macron praised the visit as “a way to make peace”, calling it an “honour” to supply the plane carrying the Ukrainian leader to Hiroshima.
Zelensky is seeking support for a ten-point peace plan, which focuses on demanding that Russia withdraw from Ukrainian territory.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the message to Ukraine and its allies was clear: “Russia must withdraw troops”.
Any peace plan “cannot be linked to the stabilization of the conflict,” he said.
“Russia should not bet that if it persists long enough, it will end up weakening support for Ukraine.”
Biden, Zelensky talks
Zelensky was previously scheduled to attend the G7 summit remotely, but arrived on the back of a major breakthrough in his fight to acquire advanced weapons from the West.
The White House lifted its long-standing reluctance to allow allies to supply Kiev with F-16 fighter jets, opening the way for Ukraine to receive its most sophisticated material yet.
Washington insisted the planes were part of a US strategy to support Ukraine “in a way that avoids World War III,” and rejected criticism that his decision had taken too long.
Zelensky acknowledged that the jets would not immediately help the war effort, but hailed the decision as “a great result”.
“It will really help our society, our people to save homes, families.”
US President Joe Bidenwok with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before a working session on Ukraine during the G7 leaders’ summit in Hiroshima on May 21, 2023. (Susan Walsh / Poole / AFP)
Mick Ryan, a strategist and retired Australian major general, called the decision “very important”.
“The F-16 has sensors and weapons systems that are either equal or comparable to Russian fighters,” he told AFP.
Zelensky will meet US President Joe Biden later on Sunday, although the White House declined to confirm US media reports it could announce a new package of arms for Ukraine.
The White House said on Saturday that Biden was “looking forward” to meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on Saturday that the meeting was “scheduled for shortly after 2:00 pm (0500 GMT)” on Sunday.
“The president will continue to reiterate the United States’ strong and steadfast support for Ukraine,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
Earlier Saturday, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden was “looking forward to the opportunity to be able to sit down with Zelensky face-to-face”.
Ukraine’s president arrived in Japan on Saturday on a French government plane after an earlier stopover in Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, Zelensky became the first Jewish head of state addressed to Arab leaders at the Arab League Summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Addressing the summit in English, Zelensky appeared to invoke the Arab world’s own troubled history of invasion and occupation, saying that his nations would understand that Ukraine “will never submit to any foreigners or colonialists. Therefore We fight
In this photo provided by the Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, during the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia May 19, 2023. (Saudi Press Agency via AP)
While Ukraine dominated the G7 summit, the leaders also hit out at China, condemning its efforts to “weaponize” trade and supply chains, and warned that they would “fail and have consequences”. Will suffer”.
The group also warned China against its “militarisation” of the South China Sea and urged Beijing to pressure Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine.
However it stressed that it still wanted a “constructive and stable relationship” with China.
China retaliated late Saturday by expressing its “strong dissatisfaction” with the G7’s final communique, and Russia also lashed out at the group.
“Look at the decisions discussed and taken today at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, which aims to include both Russia and China,” said Sergei Lavrov, Moscow’s top diplomat.
Times of Israel staff and the AP contributed to this report.