HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived Saturday in Japan for talks with the leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies, a personal appearance intended to garner global attention as countries pressured Moscow for its 15-month invasion of Ukraine.
Strengthening international support is a key priority as Ukraine prepares for what is seen as a major push to retake territory seized by Russia in the war that began in February last year. Zelenskyy’s in-person visit to the G7 summit comes just hours after the United States agreed to allow the training of powerful American-made fighter jets.which laid the foundation for their move to Ukraine.
Host nation Japan said Zelenskyy’s inclusion stemmed from his “strong desire” to participate in talks with the bloc and other countries that could influence his country’s defense against Russia.
“Japan. G7. Important meetings with colleagues and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will be closer today,” Zelenskyy tweeted as he arrived at a aircraft provided by France.
A European Union official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief reporters on the deliberations, said Zelenskyy would participate in two separate sessions on Sunday. One session will be with G7 members only and will focus on the war in Ukraine. Another will include the G7 as well as other countries invited to participate in the summit, and will focus on “peace and stability.”
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that President Joe Biden and Zelenskyy will have direct contact with the summit. On Friday, Biden announced his support for the training of Ukrainian pilots in US-made F-16 fighter jets, a prelude to providing the planes to Ukraine.
“It is necessary to improve (Ukraine’s) air defense capabilities, including the training of our pilots,” Zelenskyy wrote on his official Telegram channel after meeting with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of several leaders who he spoke.
Zelenskyy also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, their first face-to-face talk since the war, and briefed him on the Ukraine peace plan, which calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops from of the country before any negotiations.
Russia’s deputy defense minister, Alexander Grushko, accused Western countries of “continuing the path of development,” following announcements that raised the possibility of sending F-16s to Kyiv.
The G7 pledged to step up the pressure in its joint statement on Saturday.
“Russia’s brutal war of aggression represents a threat to the whole world in violation of the basic rules, norms and principles of the international community. We reaffirm our unwavering support for in Ukraine to the extent necessary to bring about a comprehensive, just and lasting peace,” the group said.
G7 leaders face a balancing act as they look to address a raft of global concerns that demand urgent attention, including climate change, AI, poverty and economic instability, nuclear proliferation and, above all, the war in Ukraine.
China, the No. 2 world economysits at the nexus of most concerns.
There is growing concern that Beijing, which continues to build up its nuclear weapons program, may try to seize Taiwan by force, sparking a wider conflict. China claims the self-governing island as its own and regularly sends ships and warplanes near it.
The G7 on Saturday said they do not want to harm China and seeks “constructive and stable relations” with Beijing, “recognizing the importance of frank engagement and expressing our concerns directly to China.”
They also urged China to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine and “support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.”
North Korea, which has been testing ballistic missiles, must completely abandon its nuclear bomb ambitions, “including any further nuclear tests or launches using ballistic missile technology,” the statement said. of leaders.
The green light on F-16 training is the latest move by the Biden administration as it moves to equip Ukraine with more advanced and lethal weapons, following earlier decisions to send rocket launcher systems and Abrams tank. The United States insists it sends weapons to Ukraine in self-defense and thwarts Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
“We’ve reached a moment where it’s time to look again at the road to say what Ukraine needs as part of the future force, to deter and defend against Russian aggression as we move forward,” he said. said Sullivan. .
Biden’s decisions on when, how many, and who will provide the fourth-generation F-16 fighter jets will be made in the coming months as training continues, Biden told the leaders.
G7 leaders launched a new wave of global sanctions in Moscow as well as plans to improve the effectiveness of the current financial sanctions aimed at preventing President Vladimir Putin’s war effort. Russia is now the most permissive country in the world, but there are questions about effectiveness.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the G-7 summit for the purpose of isolating China and Russia.
“The task is set loud and clear: to defeat Russia on the battlefield, but not to stop there, but to eliminate it as a geopolitical competitor. In fact, any other country that claims to be a kind in the independent area of world alignment is also the suppression of a competitor. Look at the decisions that are currently being discussed and adopted in Hiroshima, at the G-7 summit, and which are aimed at the double deterrence of Russia and China ,” he said.
Russia participated in several summits with seven other countries before being kicked out of the former Group of Eight after the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida separately held one-on-one talks with leaders, including Modi, who are hosting the G20 world leaders’ gathering later this year.
India, the world’s largest democracy, has been measured in its comments on the war in Ukraine, and has refrained from directly condemning the Russian invasion. While India maintains close ties with the US and its Western allies, it is also a major buyer of Russian arms and oil.
The latest sanctions aimed at Russia include tighter restrictions on already sanctioned people and companies involved in the war effort. More than 125 individuals and organizations in 20 countries have been hit by US sanctions.
The leaders began the summit by visiting a peace park dedicated to the tens of thousands who died in the first detonation of the atomic bomb during the world war. Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, wants nuclear disarmament to be a major focus of the discussions.
The G7 leaders also discussed efforts to stabilize the world economy and address rising prices that are putting pressure on families and government budgets around the world, especially in developing countries. Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The group reiterated its intention to put together $600 billion in financing for the G7 infrastructure development initiative, which is intended to provide countries with an alternative to Chinese investment dollars.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni will skip the final day of the G7 because of floods earlier this week in northern Italy, which claimed at least 14 lives and destroyed many villages and towns.
“Biden, who scrapped plans to travel to Papua New Guinea and Australia after his stay in Japan to return to the debt limit talks in Washington, he also met with the leaders of the so-called Quad partnershipconsisting of Japan, Australia, India and the United States.
The G7 includes Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union.
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Associated Press writers Zeke Miller, Elaine Kurtenbach and Mari Yamaguchi in Hiroshima, Japan, and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.
