After a long journey from Jeddah, where he also appeared by surprise to speak at the Arab League summit, the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, has gone to Hiroshima today to participate in the G-7 meeting. After fooling around with the announcement and then denying his trip, he arrived in the Japanese city aboard a French government plane, which shows his close relationship with President Macron. A calculated, but also risky, coup that puts his fight against the Russian invasion back on the front line of the international debate and further demonstrates Putin’s isolation.
To defend himself against his aggression and launch a counteroffensive that will allow him to recover the territories seized by Moscow, Zelenski has traveled to Hiroshima in order to receive not only the solidarity and support of the most advanced democracies, but also to ask them for more weapons. Before even landing, he had already won his first battle as the United States announced its readiness for its European allies to send their F-16 fighters to kyiv and train its pilots.
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Overcoming his initial reluctance to prevent the contest from escalating further, President Biden has given the go-ahead to this operation, which once again enrages Russia. In response, the Kremlin warned Western countries that they face “colossal risks” for delivering these fighter jets to Ukraine. Meanwhile, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan insists that “nothing has changed,” according to France Presse. Before the media gathered in Hiroshima, Sullivan justified the measure because “our position on the provision of weapons, material and training for the Ukrainians has followed the demands of the conflict.”
Asking what Kiev needs to defend against Russian aggression, Sullivan noted that “F-16s, fourth-generation fighters, are part of that mix,” but added that “the obvious first step is to conduct training », estimated at about 18 months. “We are going to do everything we can to support Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we are going to do it in a way that prevents World War III,” Sullivan promised. To that end, he explained that kyiv has assured that it will not use US weapons to attack Russian soil. But, of course, that will not calm Moscow’s anger.
In addition to this military aid, Zelenski will receive the political support of the G-7, which has invited other emerging powers, such as Brazil or India, which until now have remained equidistant in the war, to this summit. Although Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi snapped at Putin last year during the Samarkand summit that “this is not the time for a war,”2 his country continues to buy weapons and cheap oil from him, which it then sells to the West. For his part, Brazilian President Lula da Silva has held Putin and Zelenski equally responsible for the war, whom he asks to make territorial concessions to achieve peace.
Trying to win support for his cause, the Ukrainian president launched a veritable diplomatic offensive as soon as he got off the plane in the early afternoon. Right after the G-7 family photo and his guests, in which he was not present, he held a round of bilateral meetings as if it were another of his war campaigns. In a few hours, he met with six of the leaders present at the summit.
To begin with, he met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whom he thanked for his “leadership in the international fighter coalition,” he later wrote on Twitter. This was her second meeting in just a week after passing through London, where the two strengthened their alliance against Putin.
He then met Modi, whom he briefed on Ukraine’s proposed peace formula. As India has not yet condemned Russia’s invasion, abstaining in the last UN vote in February, this was one of the most important meetings of it. Delhi has had a close diplomatic and military alliance with Moscow for decades, and a change in its stance towards Ukraine would be a huge success for Zelensky.
In addition, he met with Macron and with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz. “France’s support for the fighter coalition and its participation in the training mission is important. I have emphasized the priority of implementing the Ukrainian Peace Formula and involving as many countries as possible,” he congratulated himself on Twitter. For the French president, Zelensky’s presence in the G-7 could be a “turning point”.
For his part, Chancellor Scholz thanked “the powerful defensive assistance that Ukraine receives from Germany.” Finally, Zelenski met with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. A whole diplomatic war campaign that continues today Sunday with a visit to the Peace Museum. As a climax, Zelensky is scheduled to give a speech at the Hiroshima Peace Park, the perfect setting to talk about the horror that Russia sows in Ukraine.
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