Volodymyr Zelensky is expected on site “in the next few hours”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to arrive “in the next few hours” at the G7 summit currently being held in Hiroshima, Japan, franceinfo learned on Saturday May 20 from a French diplomatic source.

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The precise time of arrival of the Ukrainian president is not yet confirmed. Volodymyr Zelensky will travel on an official French plane. The Ukrainian president had expressed the wish to participate in the G7 summit during his meeting with Emmanuel Macron last weekend.

“The sign of the trust that exists between Paris and kyiv”

As a reminder, Emmanuel Macron welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky to the Elysee Palace on Sunday evening for a working dinner. The Ukrainian president had also expressed this request to travel to Japan for the summit during his recent tour of Europe. This visit by the Ukrainian Head of State is “a sign of the trust that exists between Paris and kyiv and between the two presidents”, we argue from the same source. It follows on from Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the European Council last February.

During this G7 summit in Japan, Emmanuel Macron must meet during the weekend bilaterally with his Ukrainian counterpart. The exact date has not yet been decided. Still according to the same source, it was France that wanted to have a working session on Ukraine during this G7 summit. In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the various working sessions from his arrival. He is also expected to attend the dinner scheduled for Saturday evening with G7 leaders and invited countries.