Hiroshima (Japan) (BLAZETRENDS).- The leaders of the G7 began a meeting today with the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, focused on the military support for Kiev in the face of the war in Ukraine, within the framework of the summit that is being held in the city Hiroshima Japan.
Before the start of the meeting, the heads of the Group of Seven posed for the cameras together with Zelenski, who stood between the Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida and the US President, Joe Biden, and before the flags of this group of countries. , to which the Ukrainian was added.
After the posing, Biden approached Zelenski and exchanged words with him while putting his hand on his shoulder, and it was also possible to see how the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, had a friendly conversation with the Kiev president .
The Ukrainian leader, who traveled to Hiroshima the day before, attends this first session of the summit dedicated specifically to discussing the situation on the ground in Ukraine and the measures of the Group of Seven to intensify its shipments of arms and equipment such as fighters , plus financial and other assistance.
Bilateral meetings
The day before, Zelensky held bilateral meetings focused on these issues with the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany and the European institutions, and he also plans to hold meetings with the US president and the Japanese leader within the framework of the summit. and host of the summit.
“We coordinated our positions and prepared the next steps. On Defense: weapons, air defense, fighters, ”said the Ukrainian leader in a video posted on social networks the day before, in which he summarized the content of his first confrontations with G7 leaders.
Zelensky also addressed in these meetings “formulas for peace and long-term support for Ukraine” and “financing and economy”, according to what he said.
Before the start of the session with the G7 leaders, Zelensky also had a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in which the two discussed military aid, the situation at the front and the peace proposals made by Kiev, detailed the Ukrainian leader on Twitter.
More weapons for kyiv
One of the most relevant news regarding military aid that has emerged during the summit is Washington’s approval for other G7 partners to provide US-made F-16 fighters to Kiev troops and train their pilots to handle these aircraft. that can make a difference in the Ukrainian skies.
The EU countries (of which Germany, France and Italy are represented in the G7) are discussing internally how and when to proceed with the shipment of fighters of this type and potentially others of European manufacture, in parallel to another “international coalition” announced recently by the United Kingdom and several member states with the same objective.
Biden also plans to announce a new military aid package to Ukraine soon, a senior US official told BLAZETRENDS, declining to provide further details.
The Political newspaper, citing US officials, reports that the package will be worth 375 million dollars and will include weapons that the United States has already sent to Ukraine in the past such as artillery shells, armored vehicles and high-mobility artillery rockets ( Himars).
great expectation
Zelensky arrived in the Japanese city of Hiroshima on Saturday amid great expectation with television stations around the world broadcasting his arrival live and trying with great difficulty to capture images of his departure from the plane, which had been provided by France.
His participation in the G7 meetings comes hours after the Wagner Group, the spearhead of the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, announced the seizure of the city of Bakhmut, the scene of bloody attacks in recent months and of great value. symbolic for both sides.
Ukraine denies that Russia captured Bakhmut and expectations remain that the Ukrainian armed forces will soon launch a counter-offensive to recapture Russian-occupied regions.