Reports filtering in have it that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived Japan on Saturday for the G-7 summit.
United States President Joe Biden, who scrapped plans to travel on to Papua New Guinea and Australia after his stay in Japan so that he can get back to debt limit talks in Washington, is also meeting with leaders of the so-called Quad partnership, made up of Japan, Australia, India and the United States.
The G7 includes Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union.
Zelenskyy arrived in-person for talks with the leaders of the worldās most powerful democracies, meant to galvanize global attention as the nations ratcheted up pressure on Moscow for its 15-month invasion of Ukraine.
Bolstering international support is a key priority as Ukraine prepares for whatās seen as a major push to take back territory seized by Russia in the war that began in February last year.
Zelenskyyās in-person visit to the G7 summit comes just hours after the United States agreed to allow training on potent American-made fighter jets, laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine.
Host nation Japan said Zelenskyyās inclusion stems from his āstrong wishā to participate in talks with the bloc and other countries that will influence his nationās defense against Russia.
āJapan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today,ā Zelenskyy tweeted upon his arrival on a plane provided by France.
A European Union official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief reporters on the deliberations, said Zelenskyy will take part in two separate sessions Sunday. One session will be with G7 members only and will focus on the war in Ukraine.
Another will include the G7 as well as the other nations invited to take part in the summit, and will focus on āpeace and stability.ā
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that President Joe Biden and Zelenskyy would have direct engagement at the summit.
On Friday, Biden announced his support for training Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, a precursor to eventually providing those aircraft to Ukraine.
The G7 vowed to intensify the pressure in its joint statement Saturday.
āRussiaās brutal war of aggression represents a threat to the whole world in breach of fundamental norms, rules and principles of the international community.
“We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes to bring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace,ā the group said.
G7 leaders have faced a balancing act as they look to address a raft of global worries demanding urgent attention, including climate change, AI, poverty and economic instability, nuclear proliferation and, above all, the war in Ukraine.
China, the worldās No. 2 economy, sits at the nexus of many of those concerns.
There is increasing anxiety that Beijing, which has been steadily building up its nuclear weapons program, could try to seize Taiwan by force, sparking a wider conflict.
China claims the self-governing island as its own and regularly sends ships and warplanes near it.
The G7 on Saturday said they did not want to harm China and were seeking āconstructive and stable relationsā with Beijing, ārecognizing the importance of engaging candidly with and expressing our concerns directly to China.ā
They also urged China to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine and āsupport a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.ā
North Korea, which has been testing missiles at a torrid pace, must completely abandon its nuclear bomb ambitions, āincluding any further nuclear tests or launches that use ballistic missile technology,ā the leadersā statement said.
The green light on F-16 training is the latest shift by the Biden administration as it moves to arm Ukraine with more advanced and lethal weaponry, following earlier decisions to send rocket launcher systems and Abrams tanks.
The United States has insisted that it is sending weapons to Ukraine to defend itself and has discouraged attacks by Ukraine into Russian territory.
“Weāve reached a moment where it is time to look down the road again to say what is Ukraine going to need as part of a future force, to be able to deter and defend against Russian aggression as we go forward,ā Sullivan said.
Bidenās decisions on when, how many, and who will provide the fourth-generation F-16 fighter jets will be made in the months ahead while the training is underway, Biden told leaders.
The G7 leaders have rolled out a new wave of global sanctions on Moscow as well as plans to enhance the effectiveness of existing financial penalties meant to constrain President Vladimir Putinās war effort.
Russia is now the most-sanctioned country in the world, but there are questions about the effectiveness.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida separately held one-on-one talks with leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, which is hosting the gathering of G20 world leaders later this year.
India, the worldās largest democracy, has been measured in its comments on the war in Ukraine, and has avoided outright condemnation of Russiaās invasion. While India maintains close ties with the U.S. and its Western allies, it is also a major buyer of Russian arms and oil.
The latest sanctions aimed at Russia include tighter restrictions on already-sanctioned people and firms involved in the war effort. More than 125 individuals and organizations across 20 countries have been hit with U.S. sanctions.
The leaders began the summit with a visit to a peace park dedicated to the tens of thousands who died in the worldās first wartime atomic bomb detonation. Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, wants nuclear disarmament to be a major focus of discussions.
The G7 leaders also discussed efforts to strengthen the global economy and address rising prices that are squeezing families and government budgets around the world, particularly in developing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
According to AP News, the group reiterated its aim to pull together up to $600 billion in financing for the G7ās global infrastructure development initiative, which is meant to offer countries an alternative to Chinaās investment dollars.