Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Hiroshima on Saturday. Press Office of the President of Ukraine (AP)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is trying to persuade allies to further increase support for his country on the third and final day of the G-7 summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, while at the same time pushing leaders away from what’s important to convince The non-aligned countries India, Brazil and Indonesia present at the meeting should reconsider their position.
No change in the attitude of these key players from the Global South is to be expected, but Zelenski and his Western partners rely on personal contact, direct explanations and reasoning based on core UN values such as respect for sovereignty and the territorial integrity of countries can somehow influence the internal reasoning of Narendra Modi, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Joko Widodo.
Zelenskyy’s visit was only publicly announced a few hours before his arrival. However, European sources point out that the Japanese Presidency informed all delegations in advance, including those from countries outside the G-7. Everyone knew they would meet the Ukrainian leader in Hiroshima.
India and Brazil are of particular importance for Ukraine. New Delhi because it has close ties with Moscow for historical reasons and its goodwill is an important oxygen booster for the Kremlin. The Modi government abstained in the UN vote on the Russian invasion, has a successful oil deal with Russia but has made it very clear that it does not like aggression and has some interest in aligning itself with the West in Regarding the common concern for China.
The situation is different with Brazil, since the country has neither economic relevance nor a specific ability to exert political influence on the Ukraine issue. But Lula is a popular leader, well respected by progressive voters and has extensive personal contacts in the world. For months he has been working to get peace negotiations going.
Kiev and Westerners do not forget his statements that Zelensky is as responsible for the conflict as Putin – an interview with Time magazine before his election – or others that there is no fight if two do not want to. Brazil is not equally far behind in condemning the invasion, but several statements by its leader have sparked widespread skepticism. Today’s session is about arguing with Lula and changing his mindset, among other things.
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After arriving on Saturday from Saudi Arabia, where he was attending the Arab League Summit in Jeddah, Zelenski held several bilateral meetings yesterday with the leaders present in Hiroshima. Today I am supposed to attend two G7 meetings, one with member countries, another also with guests. A bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden is scheduled for this afternoon.
The G-7 greeted Zelenskyi with excellent news for Ukraine, particularly Washington’s U-turn on F-16 fighter jets. After months of reluctance, the White House has opened the door for allied countries to supply these planes to the Kiev Armed Forces in the coming months. Before that, an international training program will be launched so that Ukrainian pilots can properly operate these models.
The Seven have also put a new spin on measures to contain Russia’s economy and its ability to sustain the war effort. These include new export restrictions and plans to hit Russia’s diamond industry.
On the other hand, the summit was marked by a notable solidarity of the G-7 partners towards China, with a common position that puts in place cooperation mechanisms to counter what is perceived in the West as China’s practices of “economic coercion”.
The relationship with the Asian giant is problematic and multifaceted, and the G-7 has shown a convergence of partners who want to face the rest in harmony, supported by the concept of reducing the risks stemming from over-reliance on China cruder concept of decoupling popular in Washington in recent months — and in an attempt to reduce the likelihood of Western technology-based disruption to Beijing’s military or security development.
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