G7 summit: Zelenskyy pushes Ukraine peace plan in Hiroshima
Zelenskyy spent most of the morning in meetings with world leaders, and later in the day laid wreaths with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appealed for diplomatic and military assistance in Japan’s Hiroshima on Sunday, as he spoke with G7 allies and a few nations that have refrained from condemning Russia’s invasion.
“The more we all work together, the less likely anyone else in the world will follow Russia’s insane path. But is this enough?” he said in a tweet.
Zelenskyy spent most of the morning in meetings with world leaders, and later in the day laid wreaths with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
The site commemorates the victims of the atomic bomb the US military dropped in 1945.
Zelenskyy clarified in a press conference at the end of the summit that Russian forces weren’t controlling Bakhmut, saying the town “is not occupied by the Russian Federation as of today.”
Zelenskyy made the comments after confusion over whether the city had fallen to Russian forces.
The Ukrainian leader had earlier in the day conceded that little remained of the city, telling reporters that they “have to understand there there is nothing ” because
Russian forces have “destroyed everything.”
Biden announces Ukraine military aid
US President Joe Biden met Zelenskyy earlier in the morning at the summit and announced an additional $375 million (€347 million) military aid package for Kyiv to assist it in the fight against Russia. The move comes a day after US said it would train Ukrainian pilots to use F-16 fighter jets and would allow its allies to supply the planes.
Biden said in a press conference at the end of the summit that Kyiv’s allies “will not waver, Putin will not break our resolve as he thought he could.” He said the Ukrainian leader had provided him “a flat assurance” that Kyiv would not use F-16s to attack Russian territory.
Zelenskyy then met other leaders, like South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, on the sidelines of the summit as well.
The Ukrainian leader thanked Yoon, whom he met for the first time, for the “humanitarian and non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, in particular, for demining vehicles.”
Zelenskyy rallied countries around a ten-point peace plan, saying the plan was built to ensure that “everyone in the world can choose the track they can contribute to.”
Zelenskyy urges Global South countries to back Ukrainian cause
The surprise visit to Hiroshima is not only a chance for Zelenskyy to confer with G7 leaders, but also to deliver a message to heads of Global South countries who have been hesitant to condemn Russia’s invasion.
One of the skeptical leaders present at the summit is Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has accused the West of “encouraging the war.” Lula did not meet the Ukrainian president.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has avoided outright condemnation of Russia, spoke with Zelenskyy on Saturday, expressing sympathy for the Ukrainian leader and his citizens.
Zelenskyy expressed optimism about the encounter Saturday, believing that India “will contribute to the restoration of the rulesbased international order that all free nations clearly need.”
Western allies pledge continued support
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country would support Ukraine for as long as it takes and continue training Ukrainian military. Canadian forces have been training Ukrainian military and security personnel in advanced skills since 2015 French President Emmanuel Macron lauded Zelenskyy’s trip to Japan as “a pathway to peace,” considering it an “honor” to have provided the plane that transported the Ukrainian leader to Hiroshima.