© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks to the media at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany May 14, 2023. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
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By Jeff Mason and Katya Golubkova
HIROSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Saturday to meet leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies and rally support for defense against the Russian invasion of his country.
Zelenskiy’s presence at the Group of Seven summit in a city that was the first to suffer a nuclear attack has underscored Western governments’ concerns about the nuclear threat posed by Russia.
The Hiroshima summit comes as G7 members face immense challenges posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and tensions with China, including over Taiwan.
Zelenskiy, dressed in his usual olive green fatigues, exited a French government plane and quickly made his way to a waiting car, footage from Japanese broadcasters showed.
Moments later, he tweeted: “Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine.”
His arrival comes after G7 members warned that countries that try to use the trade as a weapon will face “consequences”, sending a strong signal to China over practices that Washington has long called economic bullying.
French and European officials said it was crucial that Zelenskiy travel in person first to the Arab League and then to the G7, where members from the South are attending, to present Ukraine’s point of view in as a victim of an attack from Russia and how he saw a peace settlement in the future.
“We must use all means to bind non-aligned states to the cause of defending Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a French presidential official told reporters.
Zelenskiy will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the G7, but also significantly the leaders of India and Brazil, two countries that have not moved away from Moscow.
He is due to hold a session on Sunday with the G7 before a broader session with participants from the Global South.