President Joe Biden put an arm around Volodymyr Zelenskyy to show his support ahead of a face-to-face meeting between Ukraine’s president and leaders at the G7 summit.
Zelenskyy will address the summit on Sunday, asking for diplomatic and military support in his election campaign to end the Russian invasion of his country.
Before his speech, he held a photo shoot with the heads of state. In striking contrast, the leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies wore suits and ties; while Zelenskyy wore his signature green military uniforms.
Eager to show their support, the heads of state took the time to chat with Zelenskyy after the photo was finished. Biden put his arm around Zelenskyy’s shoulders as the leaders left the room.
The stakes are high for Ukraine’s president, who needs the military might, economic power and hard cash of Western allies to oust Russian President Vladimir Putin and his troops from his country.
He will hold an in-person meeting with Biden later Sunday as part of his campaign to bolster support among allies ahead of his planned spring offensive to oust Putin.
President Joe Biden puts his arm around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy set off immediately.
He landed in Hiroshima on Saturday afternoon and took part directly in a series of meetings, including with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and European leaders.
Biden is “looking forward” to the meeting, a senior administration official told reporters.
“The President will continue to reaffirm the United States’ firm and unwavering support for Ukraine going forward,” the official said.
Zelenskyy arrived in Japan shortly after Biden changed course and gave the green light to European allies to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to fight Russia.
The embattled war president said the Jets would not immediately support the war effort but the decision was “great”.
“I’m very happy,” he said on Saturday at the summit. “It will really help our society and our people to save homes and families.”
Zelensky, making his furthest advance from Kiev since the Russian invasion began 15 months ago, arrived at the heavily guarded Hiroshima airport on a French plane. He also met French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the G7 summit venue.
While he was in Japan, Russia stepped up its war campaign in Ukraine. The mercenary group Wagner and the national army attacked the city of Bakhmut and declared victory there.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (pictured) poses with G7 leaders for a family photo
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at Hiroshima Airport on Saturday
Zelenskyy can be seen through the airport fence getting into his motorcade
President Biden and President Zelenskyy will hold a face-to-face meeting at the G7 summit on Sunday
Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured) claimed in video taken in front of destroyed buildings while explosions could be heard in the distance that his forces were in full control of Bakhmut – which Kiev denies
Kiev denied that Russia had won there.
But Putin congratulated.
“Thanks to the offensive actions of the Wagner assault units with the support of artillery and aviation of the ‘Southern’ unit, the liberation of the city of Artemovsk was completed,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, using the Soviet-era name Bakhmut.
“Vladimir Putin congratulated the Wagner assault units, as well as all the soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces units, who provided them with the necessary support and flank cover, on the completion of the operation to liberate the city,” the TASS news agency said the Kremlin said.
The city, now largely destroyed, is not a strategically important location for Russia, but Ukraine has put great resources into its defense.
According to Western estimates, between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in Bakhmut, while the Ukrainian military also suffered badly.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy had a busy schedule on his first day at the G7 summit.
For Zelenskyy and Modi it was the first face-to-face meeting since the Russian invasion of Ukraine some 15 months ago.
India has close ties with Russia – it is a major buyer of Russian arms and Russian crude oil, which helps fund Putin’s war. And while Modi’s government has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, it has abstained from UN resolutions calling for Russia’s withdrawal and condemning the invasion.
Before arriving at the G7 summit, Zelenskyy stopped in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to address the Arab League summit. In his remarks, he accused some Arab leaders of ignoring the horrors of the Russian invasion of his country.
“Unfortunately, there are some in the world, and among you, who turn a blind eye to these cages and illegal annexations,” he said, urging them to “be honest about the war.”
Before Zelenskyy’s arrival, amid pressure from Europe to help Ukraine end the conflict, Biden agreed to allow European countries with F-16s to transfer some of the fighter jets to the contested country.
“President Biden notified his G7 peers that the United States will support joint efforts to train Ukrainian pilots in fourth-generation fighter jets, including the F-16,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Saturday.
“Over the past few months, we and our allies and partners have really focused on providing Ukraine with the weapons and training that the system needs to conduct effective offensive operations this spring,” he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Kraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left) and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (right) at the G7.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is traveling in a motorcade on his arrival to the G7 summit
The plane carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is doing its job properly
Ukraine is planning a massive counter-offensive to reclaim its territory and drive out Putin’s troops. But delivering the F-16 — and training to operate it — will take months.
“I applaud the historic decision by the United States and @POTUS to support an international fighter jet coalition.” “This will greatly strengthen our army in the sky,” Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter.
Zelenskyy was in Europe this week to meet with leaders from France, Italy, the UK and Germany to strengthen alliances and ask for more aid.
At the start of the conflict, Biden had refused to send the advanced military combat plans to Ukraine, fearing they would attack the heart of Russia and provoke the Kremlin into escalating the conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders.
But several European countries have F-16s in their arsenals and wanted to send them to Kiev, but due to the advanced US technology in the planes, they need an American permit to transfer them to third parties.
Sullivan argued, “Nothing has changed.” “Our approach to providing arms, materiel and training to the Ukrainians has been guided by the needs of the conflict.”
“Having delivered everything we promised,” he added, “we are enabling the Ukrainians to advance through the counter-offensive on the battlefield.”
President Zelenskyy with French President Emmanuel Macron
Japan rolled out the red carpet to welcome Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks through the corridor of the Grand Prince Hotel where the G7 summit is taking place
Zelenskyy flew to Hiroshima on a French plane
F-16 fighter jets have long been at the top of Ukraine’s wish list
F-16 training will be conducted by US personnel over the coming weeks. The timeline for that training remains unclear, but American officials previously estimated it could last up to 18 months.
“As training progresses over the coming months, we will work with our allies to determine when aircraft will be delivered, who will deliver them and how many,” Sullivan said.
The US Air Force has two F-16 air squadrons in Europe: the 31st Fighter Squadron at Aviano Air Force Base in Italy and the 52nd Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Force Base in Germany. The US also routinely sends F-16 fighter jets in and out of Europe, alternating in smaller groups.
So far, Ukraine has relied on significantly older MiG fighter jets, of which Poland and Slovakia had made 27 available to it. Few European countries have stocks of F-16s, including the Netherlands with 40 and Denmark with 30, as well as Poland and Norway.
F-16s have been at the top of Ukraine’s weapon wish list since receiving main battle tanks from countries like the US, UK and Germany.
Western allies have taken even tougher action against Russia to pressure Putin to end the war. G7 leaders on Friday announced another round of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector and military complex.
In response, Moscow has stepped up its bombing campaign in Ukraine.