5/20/2023 3:54 pm (act. 5/20/2023 4:00 pm)
The President of Ukraine was warmly welcomed in Japan ©APA/AFP/POOL
In the foreseeable future, Ukraine may plan to fight the invading Russian army with modern Western fighter aircraft. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived on a French government plane at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan on Saturday. In bilateral meetings after his arrival, he thanked the allies for paving the way, in principle, for the delivery of fighter jets.
Upon his arrival on Saturday, Zelenskyy met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni for talks. He also met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is communicated by the governments of the countries involved.
“I thanked the UK for leading the international fighter jet coalition,” Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram account after meeting Sunak. French President Emmanuel Macron described Zelenskyy’s participation in a summit meeting between the two heads of state as a “turning point”. The Ukrainian head of state’s visit to Japan offers a “unique opportunity to present his situation, convey his message and share his views”, Macron told Zelenskyy.
A meeting with US President Joe Biden was also expected. In principle, he paved the way for the delivery of American F-16 jets. Last week, Britain and the Netherlands kicked off the international fighter jet coalition that Kiev has long wanted.
Zelenskyy hailed “the historic decision” and said he looked forward to “practical implementation”.
First, pilots must be trained, which takes months. According to information from the US, it will then be decided when and how many aircraft will be delivered by whom. Zelenskyy hailed the US support as a “historic decision”. “This will significantly strengthen our army in heaven,” Zelenskyy tweeted.
In Zelensky’s first meeting with the Indian prime minister since the start of the Russian invasion, Modi offered to help end the war. “India and I will do everything we can to end the war,” Modi was quoted as saying by Indian news agency ANI. India maintains good relations with Russia, from where it buys weapons and energy.
EU Council President Charles Michel pledged Zelenskyy’s intransigence on sanctions policy against Russia at a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit. “The EU will work with G7 partners to take action against all pillars of the Russian economy so that Putin’s war machine fails,” Michel’s spokesman Barend Leyts said after the meeting.
On Sunday, Ukraine’s president will attend sessions at the end of the three-day summit deliberations. According to a Japanese media report, a speech in Hiroshima is also planned. Japan is also preparing for a visit to Zelenskyy at the Peace Museum. There, evidence of the aftermath of the US atomic bombing of the city on August 6, 1945 is shown.
Heads of state and government also visited the museum and honored the more than 300,000 victims of the atomic bomb by laying wreaths at the memorial. During the US attack at the end of World War II, Hiroshima was almost completely destroyed.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, chose Hiroshima as the venue for the conference. In view of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the summit round recalled the consequences of using nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly threatened his country’s nuclear arsenal since the start of the invasion on February 24, 2022.
On the day of Zelenskyy’s arrival in Japan, the G7 countries pledged more aid to Kiev. “We are taking concrete steps to support Ukraine for as long as necessary in view of Russia’s ongoing illegal war of aggression,” the G7 statement said. They pledge to “increase diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine” and increase costs for Russia and its supporters.
Upon arrival, Zelenskyy thanked him on Twitter: “Important meeting with Ukraine’s partners and friends. Security and greater cooperation for our victory. Peace will come closer today.”
It is the first time Zelenskyy has traveled to Japan since the Russian war of aggression began on February 24 last year.
Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan contradicted the impression in Hiroshima that the US president – who initially rejected Ukraine’s request for fighter jets – had turned around. For the US, F-16 fighters have always been on the table as an option.
Sullivan said that, from the beginning, weapons delivery decisions followed the needs of the war. Now you’ve “reached a point where it’s time to look to the future.” And that’s where jet fighters come in.
Meanwhile, Russia has warned Western countries about a possible delivery of F-16 fighter jets. In this context, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Grushko, accuses Western countries of sticking to a scenario of escalation. “It involves colossal risks for them,” Grushko was quoted as saying by state news agency Tass.
In addition to the US, the G7 also includes Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Canada, in addition to the European Union.