Hiroshima summit wraps up
Calls for ‘world with no nuclear weapons’
The Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima wrapped up yesterday after discussions on Russia’s war in Ukraine and other issues with President Volodymyr Zelensky participating following his highly-publicised arrival in Japan.
The summit was held in the western Japanese city, devastated by a US atomic bomb in 1945, amid lingering fears that Russia may use a nuclear weapon against Ukraine. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents a Hiroshima constituency, has used the gathering to pitch his vision of a world without nuclear weapons.
At a press conference after the closing of the summit, Mr Kishida, the chair, emphasised that the G7 leaders had shared what he called the “idealistic” goal of ridding the world of nuclear armaments, adding that threats to use nuclear weapons “must not be accepted.”
The G7 nations showed their “unwavering unity” on supporting Ukraine at the summit, Mr Kishida said, adding that the leaders agreed to bolster economic sanctions on Russia to undermine the country’s capacity to continue its aggression.
He said that Mr Zelensky’s in-person attendance at the summit helped send “a strong message” on the Ukraine crisis.
Stressing that the G7 confirmed the importance of upholding the free and open international order based on the rule of law, Mr Kishida said the group is ready to build constructive and stable ties with China, which has been boosting its military influence in the region.
Mr Kishida urged China to “act responsibly” in the international community, with concern growing that Beijing has been attempting to deepen military cooperation with Moscow to counter the global order dominated by the United States and the Western democracies.
During Sunday’s sessions, in which some leaders from emerging and developing nations in the “Global South” also took part, Mr Zelensky is believed to have appealed for broad support from the international community.
Many countries in the Global South have avoided taking sides over Moscow’s aggression against Ukraine, with some of them dependent on Russia, a resource-rich nation, for military and energy supplies.
Later in the day, Mr Zelensky, who is making his first visit to Japan since Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022, was set to meet bilaterally with Mr Kishida and deliver a speech in Hiroshima, a Ukrainian diplomatic source said.
Mr Zelensky, meanwhile, held a separate bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden yesterday. Mr Biden has given his backing for a joint international effort to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets as requested by Kyiv.
On Saturday, Mr Zelensky landed at Hiroshima airport on a French government plane while the G7 leaders released a communique in which they pledged to support Ukraine as long as the nation faces Russia’s illegal aggression. Mr Zelensky also met with leaders from countries including Italy, Britain and India and France.