President Zelensky: What is the purpose of your visit to Japan?

President Zelensky of Ukraine visited Japan to participate in the G7 Summit. I am scheduled to participate in a session on the situation in Ukraine scheduled for the 21st.

With the reversal offensive said to be imminent, what is the aim of participating directly in the summit?


The Hiroshi Matsuo Desk of the International Department will explain in detail.

What is Ukraine's aim?

It has various aims to be imbued.

Since the event will be held in Hiroshima, Ukraine seems to want to directly appeal to the current situation that it is facing a real nuclear threat from Russia.

In addition, ahead of the reversal offensive, it is expected to request the strengthening of military assistance, including the provision of weapons, and to reiterate the need for fighter jets, including F-16s.

The fact that the leaders of emerging and developing countries called the Global South, such as India, which maintains relations with Russia, are gathering is also a point, and it seems that the aim is to have direct dialogue with these countries and appeal for support.

Furthermore, as the war continues, it seems that the aim is to show that we have come Japan long distance.

In Kyiv, while it is said that the air defense system provided by the Western side has succeeded in intercepting Russian missiles, it seems that he wished and decided to come to Japan in consideration of various effects such as showing "leeway" and "confidence" to leave the country and restraining Russia.

What about the president's travel routes and safety considerations during wartime?

Information management is thorough.

Ukrainian government officials also hinted at the possibility to the media, but did not disclose a specific schedule or route.

After various media outlets yesterday reported President Zelensky's visit to Japan one after another, a Ukrainian government official went out of his way to announce that he would participate online instead of face-to-face.

And this time, President Zelensky was on board a French plane. It seems that France and other relevant countries, including Japan, were coordinating behind the scenes how to ensure safety and have them participate in the G7.

This month, President Zelensky visited Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and other G7 European countries in the middle of this month.
It is also possible that we asked for cooperation here.

What is the reaction of the G7 countries?

You're welcome.

In an interview with NHK in Hiroshima, EU President von der Leyen revealed that he had directly encouraged President Zelensky to come to Hiroshima.

Chairman von der Leyen said, "Hiroshima, a city of peace, is the right place to discuss how to achieve just peace." He also said, "We can talk about things like how to hold Russia accountable."

Sullivan, the White House security adviser, said, "President Biden is looking forward to the opportunity to have face-to-face discussions with President Zelensky."

Countries that continue to provide support also believe that this will be an opportunity to hear directly from President Zelensky about the future prospects, including the war situation.

What is Russia's reaction?

There is no particular reaction to President Zelensky's visit to Japan.

Russia seems to be watching the G7 moves closely, but if the president of Ukraine, an enemy country, visits Hiroshima and attends the G7 summit, it is inevitable that the backlash will intensify.

The Russian side has been very wary of the continuing increase in the level of weapons provided to Ukraine by the West. It is a recognition that we have effectively entered a war with the West.

Russia seems to be increasingly wary of how the West will respond by President Zelensky to asking for more military assistance in Hiroshima.

What is the current status and challenges of the G7's assistance to Ukraine?

Regarding military assistance, the provision of fighter jets, which the Western side initially denied, is also being considered in response to the request of the Ukrainian side, and the United States indicated that it would accept F-16 fighter jets if European allies decided to provide them to Ukraine.

White House National Security Advisor Sullivan also said, "President Biden told G7 leaders that the United States would support Ukrainian pilots in conducting training using F-16 fighter jets."

However, it is also true that there are voices in the United States and other countries that oppose continuing to provide huge support amid the prolonged military invasion, and President Zelensky is expected to reiterate his request for unified support at the G7.