Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Japan for G7 Summit

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Facts

  • A day after addressing the Arab League in Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Saturday. There, he held talks with leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries as his country's war with Russia approached the 15-month point.1
  • Upon his arrival, coming via a plane provided by France, Zelenskyy tweeted: "Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today."1
  • Landing a day after the US announced it would allow allied countries to supply Ukraine with US-made F-16 fighter jets — a decision that Zelenskyy labeled "historic" — the White House said Pres. Joe Biden was "looking forward" to once again holding face-to-face talks with the Ukrainian leader.2
  • Zelenskyy is also set to hold bilateral talks with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, the host country's foreign ministry confirmed.3
  • Meanwhile, an anonymous EU official confirmed that Zelenskyy will take part in two sessions on Sunday. The first will include only G7 countries and will focus on the Ukraine war. The second will include other nations invited to the summit and will focus on "peace and stability."1
  • In the meantime, prior to Zelenskyy's arrival, the G7 countries issued a joint communiqué condemning Russia and reiterating its stance that the invasion "constitutes a serious violation of international law, including the UN Charter," and "represents a threat to the whole world."4

Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Guardian, 3Al Jazeera, and 4UKRINFORM.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The White House. The US and its allies rightly stand together against Russia’s illegal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, and will continue to provide Ukraine with unwavering financial, military, and diplomatic support until a just peace for Kyiv is won.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Responsible Statecraft. In stating that the US and its allies will militarily support Ukraine for as long as it takes, the countries are increasing the prospects of an unmitigated global disaster by slowly creeping toward an all-out war. This war stems from NATO expansion to the east, and this must be acknowledged for peace to be achieved.

Predictions