Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is satisfied with the results of his visit to the G7 summit in Hiroshima. He received support in talks with heads of state and government. However, one of the planned meetings was cancelled.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his satisfaction after the conclusion of the G7 summit in Japan. “The focus was on Ukraine, the respect for all Ukrainians was special,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video address.
As evidence of international support, he cited meetings with other leaders at the Hiroshima summit. The meeting with US President Joe Biden “as always” led to a strengthening of Ukraine, said Zelenskyj, who recorded the video on the plane shortly before departure for Kiev. In fact, at the summit, Biden announced the release of another $375 million aid package for Ukraine. In addition, Washington wants to release the deliveries of Western fighter jets that Kiev has been demanding for a long time. Ukraine has been at war against aggressor Russia for 15 months.
Encounters with Vietnam and Indonesia
Zelenskyj also referred to meetings with the summit participants from Vietnam and Indonesia. So far, neither country has been a supporter of Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine are seeking international support for their position.
Selenskyj spoke again of a “Ukrainian peace formula” that provides for the withdrawal of Russian troops from all occupied areas of Ukraine as a prerequisite for negotiations.
Lula not disappointed but “upset”
A meeting between Zelensky and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was actually planned for Hiroshima. But the conversation failed. According to Lula, the reason was that Selenskyj was late and did not show up at the agreed time. “It’s very simple,” Lula said at a news conference. There was an appointment at 3:15 p.m. “At 3:15 p.m. we got the message that Zelenskyy was late and I met with the Vietnamese President. The meeting with Vietnam lasted almost an hour, and during that time Zelenskyy did not come, that’s how it was,” Lula explained.
“I wasn’t disappointed, I was upset because I wanted to meet him and discuss the matter, so I made an appointment with him here at the hotel,” Lula continued. Selenskyj is an adult, “he knows what he’s doing”. Previously, when asked if he was disappointed that there was no one-to-one conversation with Lula, Zelenskyy replied, according to the English translation, that he thought Lula was disappointed.
Lula also said that neither Zelenskyy nor Russian President Vladimir Putin seem to want peace. “Right now, both are convinced that they will win the war.” The Brazilian president is pushing for peace talks in the Ukraine war and has proposed his country along with other “neutral” states such as China and Indonesia as mediators. “The space to talk about the war is not at the G7, nor at the G20, but in the United Nations building,” Lula added. Lula drew criticism last month when he accused the US of “sponsoring” the war. The United States denied the allegation.