G-7 leaders stand together after a family photo.
Image Alliance | Image Alliance | Getty Images
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Japan on Saturday to attend the Group of Seven (G-7) summit, giving him a rare opportunity to each rally support from the world’s wealthy democracies and probe leaders of the “Global South” with long ties to Russia .
The presence of the Ukrainian president on the G-7 summit in Hiroshima, the primary city to be hit by a nuclear attack, also significantly allayed Western fears concerning the nuclear threat from Moscow.
The G7 members – america, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Canada – are facing enormous challenges posed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and tensions with China, especially over Taiwan and economic security.
Concerned concerning the huge role China now plays in supply chains for the whole lot from semiconductors to critical minerals, the G7 issued a communiqué setting out a standard strategy for the longer term relationship with the world’s second largest economy.
“We do not separate or turn inward. At the identical time, we recognize that economic resilience requires risk mitigation and diversification.
“A developing China that abides by international rules can be of worldwide interest.”
In a separate statement on economic security, G7 members warned that countries attempting to make use of the trade as weapons would face “consequences”, sending a powerful signal to Beijing over what Washington has long viewed as economic intimidation.
The announcement was made shortly after the landing of the French government plane that brought Zelensky to Hiroshima.
Footage from Japanese broadcasters showed the Ukrainian president, wearing his customary olive-green uniforms, stepping down onto the asphalt and quickly making his strategy to a waiting automobile.
Moments later, he tweeted: “Japan. G-7. Essential meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine”.
French and European officials said it was crucial that Zelensky are available person first to the Arab League, where he addressed Friday, and now to the G-7 group, which incorporates members of the Global South, to stipulate Ukraine’s view as a victim of a Russian attack and the way he saw a peaceful solution in the longer term.
“We must use all means to bind states not involved within the defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” a representative of the French president told reporters.
Zelensky will hold bilateral meetings with G-7 leaders, but importantly, with the leaders of India and Brazil, two countries which have not distanced themselves from Moscow.
He is on account of hold a session on Sunday with the G-7 ahead of a wider session with Global South participants.