Kyiv’s a winner at G7
Zelensky’s charm offensive pays dividends in Japan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left Hiroshima with new weapons, ammunition and the “unwavering” diplomatic support of G7 allies.
He leveraged the powerful symbolism of Hiroshima, synonymous with the horrors of war, to press partners and sceptics alike to back his defence against Russia’s 15month onslaught.
The need for his bold diplomatic gambit was underscored by setbacks on the ground back home, where Russia claimed to have taken control of the eastern city of Bakhmut after months of bloody battle.
Still Mr Zelensky can claim victory on several fronts, having won US backing for the supply of advanced fighter jets, and the chance to woo powerful unaligned nations such as India that have not condemned Russia’s invasion.
He used the emotional history of Hiroshima to drive home his despair over the destruction of his country, including the frontline city of Bakhmut, which Russian troops claim to now control.
“The photos of Hiroshima remind me of Bakhmut,” he said after a visit to the city’s museum, which documents the suffering caused by the 1945 US nuclear bomb attack.
“Absolute total destruction. There is nothing. There are no people.” But he vowed that like Hiroshima, Ukraine would rebuild, and joined Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a sombre ceremony to lay flowers at a cenotaph commemorating the 140,000 people killed by the bomb.
Mr Zelensky denied that Russian troops now occupy Bakhmut, although he acknowledged they were in the city, which has been ground into ruins in months of brutal fighting.
He left Japan with reassurances, however, that his allies will see out the fight, with US President Joe Biden insisting that Ukraine’s backers “will not waver”.
“(Russian President Vladimir) Putin will not break our resolve,” Mr Biden said after meeting Mr Zelensky.
The White House earlier unveiled further aid that includes ammunition for HIMARS rocket launchers, artillery shells, antitank guided missiles and thermal imaging systems.
Mr Zelensky’s visit prompted Moscow to denounce the entire G7 summit as a “propaganda show” that whipped up “hateful anti-russian and also anti-chinese messages”.
Separately, the foreign ministry in Beijing said it had summoned G7 host Japan’s ambassador on Sunday to protest against what it described as efforts to “smear and attack” China at the gathering.