Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday landed in Hiroshima, Japan to attend the annual summit of the Group of Seven (G7) the world’s most industrialised countries.
Live footage on Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, showed Zelensky stepping off a French plane at an airport in Hiroshima. A red carpet was rolled out minutes before his arrival, and he was immediately whisked away in a black sedan, according to the New York Times. “Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today,” Zelenskyy tweeted on arrival in Japan.
The Ukrainian leader, who made a surprise visit to an Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia on Friday, is looking to rally the international community to increase sanctions on Russia and pledge further support for Ukraine, according to a report in Al Jazeera.
Zelenskyy’s visit comes a day after US President Biden informed the G7 leaders in Hiroshima that the US would support the joint allied training of Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter jets, including the F-16. Once the training gets underway, it would be decided when and how many aircraft would be delivered and who in the coalition would provide them.
Biden said he was also prepared to let other countries give F-16s to Ukraine, reported The New York Times.
The G7 grouping includes the US, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Italy and Canada.
On Saturday morning, in Hiroshima, Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, confirmed to reporters the shift in Biden’s stance.
Zelenskyy left Jeddah, Saudi Arabia late Friday after attending the Arab League summit, the Saudi state news agency reported, as cited by NYT.
