(Hiroshima) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday secured fresh pledges of military hardware as well as ‘unwavering’ diplomatic support from G7 nations in Hiroshima, Japan, as Ukrainian forces appeared to suffer a setback on the battlefield of Bakhmout.
The Ukrainian head of state arrived in Hiroshima on Saturday, almost as Moscow claimed the total capture of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmout, the scene of the longest and bloodiest battle since the start of its invasion of the country in February 2022.
Meeting in particular with the heads of state and government of the seven most industrialized democracies, he obtained the American promise of new deliveries of ammunition, artillery and armored vehicles worth 375 million dollars, in addition to the the green light from Washington on Friday to supply the F-16 fighter jets it has been asking for for a long time.
His visit in person to the city destroyed in 1945 by an atomic bomb from the United States, and which has since become a world symbol of peace, also put the Russian invasion of Ukraine back at the center of the G7 debates, eclipsing other themes of the summit such as the relations of the G7 countries with China.
“By inviting President Zelensky to Japan, we showed the G7’s unwavering solidarity with Ukraine,” said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, host of the summit.
PHOTO EUGENE HOSHIKO, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gathered in front of the cenotaph for the victims of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima on Sunday, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit organized in the Japanese city, alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Mr. Zelensky spoke on Saturday and Sunday with his European allies in the G7 and with the Japanese and Canadian leaders, but also with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who promised him that India would do “everything possible” to settle the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
India will thus participate “in the restoration of the rules-based international order which all free nations clearly need”, said the Ukrainian leader, who is also seeking support for a ten-year peace plan. points, focused on the demand for Russia’s withdrawal from Ukrainian territory.
“Russia must withdraw its troops,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hammered on Sunday, warning that “Russia should not bet that if it holds out long enough it will end up weakening support for Ukraine.”
After Modi, Lula?
Mr. Zelensky could also meet face-to-face on Sunday with Brazilian President Lula, who has so far been very reluctant to condemn the Russian invasion: he declared last month that the United States must stop “encouraging war ” in Ukraine.
The arrival of Mr. Zelensky in Hiroshima is “a way of building peace”, for his part observed Emmanuel Macron in front of journalists on Sunday.
This “avoids a partition of the world between those who clearly support Ukraine and those who say they support peace but without us sometimes knowing what that means behind it”, continued the French president.
Date with Biden
Volodymyr Zelensky also had a meeting on Sunday with US President Joe Biden, who on Friday overcame his long-standing reluctance by saying he was ready to allow other countries to supply Kyiv with the fighter jets that Mr. Zelensky has long been asking for. , American-made F-16s. A “historic” decision, immediately hailed the Ukrainian president.
PHOTO UKRAINIAN PRESIDENCY VIA AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Volodymyr Zelensky and Joe Biden
Washington will now support a joint initiative by its allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. During the duration of this training, which should take months, the West will decide the schedule for the delivery of the planes, their number as well as the countries which will provide them.
The White House, however, assured that the American doctrine had “not changed”.
Even with military aid now extended to fighter jets, “the United States does not facilitate or support attacks on Russian soil.” “The Ukrainians have consistently indicated that they are ready to respect this position,” assured Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden’s national security adviser, on Saturday.
After the publication of the final communiqué of the G7 on Saturday, the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, accused the leaders of the group of wanting to “contain” both Russia and China.
Beijing also expressed its “strong dissatisfaction” after the press release from the seven (United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada) and the European Union which addressed a series of criticisms to it, while calling for “constructive and stable” relations with Beijing.
The G7 also urged China to “pressure Russia to end its aggression” against Ukraine.