Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, May 20, 2023. JAPAN POOL / AFP-PH / JIJI PRESS
Their presence prompted Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend the G7 summit in Hiroshima: the Ukrainian leader was due to meet on Sunday, May 21, alongside his main Western allies, several figures at the top of major emerging economies who have refused to support the country since the invasion of Russia. Among them, three major figures from the Global South, i.e. the developing countries, were invited to the meeting: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva The seven largest economies on the planet were themselves increasingly concerned about the gulf between “the West and the rest” of the world, which revealed the return of war in Europe, and then widened.
Keen to expand his contacts beyond his western allies, the Ukrainian leader was due to arrive in Japan on Saturday afternoon aboard an official French plane. The plane picked up Mr Zelenskyy in Poland and took him first to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for Friday’s Arab League summit. This long journey was partially prepared during his recent meeting with Emmanuel Macron on Sunday May 14 at the Elysée Palace. The French leader is one of the Western leaders who are emphatically reaffirming his intention to build bridges between North and South to avoid “fragmentation” of the world order – and to prepare for a possible “peace summit”. The emerging countries were initially cautious and seemed almost indifferent to the conflict in the first months of the war. Now they are stepping up their initiatives, as if to intervene between Moscow, Kiev and their western allies.
As a surprise guest, Mr Zelenskyy was due to attend a joint meeting of G7 members and invited third countries in Hiroshima on Sunday. The session, titled “Peace and Stability,” is expected to focus primarily on the fate of Ukraine, nearly fifteen months into the Russian invasion. “It is important to establish contacts to secure these countries positions that are less unfavorable to Ukraine,” says a source familiar with the matter. Everyone understands the logic of this effort. It is also about preventing these states from siding with Russia by supplying arms; This work must bear fruit and reflect the military calendar. »
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War fatigue in the countries of the South
Despite the stalemate in the conflict, the major emerging economies often refuse to choose sides, as do the many leaders of the Arab League. They have all been in contact with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which they do not sanction, and very often they have not condemned it in UN forums either. Zelenskyy’s visit to the G7 also comes at a time when the countries of the South are not hiding their war weariness and are demanding a cessation of hostilities. “We have to talk about peace, that means being willing to compromise,” said a Brazilian official. Those who defend their country’s “neutrality” can talk to both Ukrainians and Russians.
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