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.”
Source: CNA
