Zelenskyy Lands
Zelenskyy arrives in Japan as G7 ramps up pressure on Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Hiroshima, Japan, on Saturday for the G7 summit, in a show of solidarity from the leaders of the world's seven largest economies.
The Ukrainian leader met with almost all of the G7 leaders, per his Twitter account, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Upon his arrival, Zelenskyy tweeted that he was having "important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today."
While Ukraine itself is not a G7 state, its member states have been mostly supportive of the country's efforts in the war against Russia. The day prior to Zelenskyy's visit, the G7 released a statement about the need for global cooperation and prosperity, in which the group sought to project a unified economic message. A separate statement focused solely on Ukraine seemed to place the war with Russia at the top of the G7's priorities, with the national leaders saying they "reaffirmed our commitment to stand together against Russia's illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine."
"We condemn, in the strongest terms, Russia's manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and the impact of Russia's war on the rest of the world," the statement added. "Russia's aggression has cost thousands of lives, inflicted immense suffering on the people of Ukraine, and imperiled access to food and energy for many of the world's most vulnerable people."
The United States has remained steadfast alongside its G7 allies in supporting Ukraine. "We have delivered what we promised," Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security advisor, told reporters, per The Washington Post. "We have given Ukraine what it needs based on close consultations between our military and theirs."