zelensky visit japan

Zelenskyy says peace will become ‘closer’ as he makes dramatic visit to Japan for G7 summit

HIROSHIMA, Japan — Ukraine’s President Volodomyr Zelenskyy touched down in Japan Saturday for diplomatic talks with the leaders of the seven industrial nations, hours after President Joe Biden and his allies announced a slew of new sanctions designed to impede Russia’s ability to prolong the war .   

“Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy tweeted upon his arrival at Hiroshima Airport on plane provided by France. “Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today.”

Wearing his trademark green military fatigues, he shook hands with officials before he was whisked off to the G7 summit, where he met with several heads of state, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron . He was also expected to meet with President Joe Biden and deliver a speech.

Also on the agenda is a tour of a Hiroshima museum dedicated to the atomic bomb attack that leveled the city at the end of World War II . The visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum will likely have special resonance for Zelenskyy, whose small country is at war with a nuclear-armed power.

In the run-up to the three-day event, participants had expected the Ukrainian leader to appear at least virtually. Until Friday, there had been no confirmation that Zelenskyy would make the potentially dangerous trip from Kyiv, the farthest he has traveled from his country since last year’s invasion.

He landed hours after the U.S. agreed to allow training on American-made F-16 fighter jets , laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine. 

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan later told reporters in Japan that Biden had shared plans with G7 allies — Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada — to supply the aircraft.

“Over the past few months, we and our allies and partners have really focused on providing Ukraine with the systems, weapons and training that it needs to be able to conduct effective offensive operations this spring and summer,” Sullivan said. 

“We have delivered what we promised, we have given Ukraine what it needs based on close consultations between our military and theirs, and now, we have turned to discussions about improving the Ukrainian air force as part of our long-term commitment to Ukraine self defense.”

Sullivan suggested that the fighter jets were part of that commitment, and that as the training unfolds in the coming months, the United States would work with allies to determine details about delivery of the jets, including how many would be sent.

The timing for when Ukraine will receive the fighter jets — and which countries will provide them — remains unclear, but a senior Biden administration official told NBC News Friday the planes would not be used for Ukraine’s upcoming counteroffensive against Russia.

Sullivan also told reporters that he believed it was “a safe bet” that Biden would meet with Zelenskyy at the summit.

The G7 vowed to intensify the pressure on Russia in a joint statement Saturday.

“Russia’s 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,” it said.

Russia is now the most-sanctioned country in the world, and the latest measures aimed at Moscow include tighter restrictions on previously sanctioned people and firms involved in the war effort. 

“Our support for Ukraine will not waver,” the statement said. The G7 leaders also vowed “to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.

“Russia started this war and can end this war,” they said.

Peter Nicholas reported from Hiroshima and Leila Sackur from London.

Peter Nicholas is a senior national political reporter for NBC News.

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Zelenskyy arrives at G-7 summit in Japan as leaders ramp up pressure on Russia

Joanna Kakissis

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disembarks upon his arrival at Hiroshima Airport in Japan on the second day of the G-7 Summit Leaders' Meeting on May 20, 2023. Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy disembarks upon his arrival at Hiroshima Airport in Japan on the second day of the G-7 Summit Leaders' Meeting on May 20, 2023.

HIROSHIMA, Japan and KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Hiroshima, Japan, on Saturday to attend the group of seven leading industrial nations' summit as member states intensify sanctions on Russia.

On his arrival, Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram channel: "Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and increased cooperation for our victory. Today, peace will be closer."

On Saturday evening, Zelenskyy met with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, whose country has been criticized for its "strategic ambivalence" about Russia's invasion. It is the two leaders' first meeting since the war began last year.

Zelenskyy will then participate in a session on Ukraine on Sunday, the final day of the summit.

The G-7 is tightening up economic sanctions on Russia for its war on Ukraine

Zelenskyy last visited Japan in 2019 and met with then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Hiroshima, destroyed by a nuclear attack in World War II, is also laden with symbolism, as Zelenskyy has warned that nuclear-armed Russia could escalate its war on Ukraine.

And amid talk of Russia potentially deploying tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Zelenskyy's appearance would also reinforce the anti-nuclear message host nation Japan has been keen to send, analysts say.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Ukraine in March. There, he invited the Ukrainian leader to participate virtually in the meeting.

The G-7 leaders gathered in Hiroshima include President Biden as well as the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Leaders from Australia, India, Vietnam and Brazil are among invited guests.

G7 leaders walk together after laying flower wreath, at the cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims, Friday May 19. Stefan Rousseau/AP hide caption

G7 leaders walk together after laying flower wreath, at the cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims, Friday May 19.

Zelenskyy's visit comes as Ukraine faces pressure to achieve clear victories in a pending counteroffensive to liberate Russian-occupied land. There has been little movement since November, when Ukraine liberated the southern city of Kherson. Ukrainian troops are exhausted after months of defending the eastern city of Bakhmut, which is largely destroyed and mostly occupied by Russian forces.

Biden-Zelenskyy meeting "a safe bet"

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said a meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy during the G-7 summit is "a safe bet." But responding to earlier reports that the Ukrainian leader would travel on a U.S. military plane, Sullivan said that the U.S. is "not the party, the country that flew him here."

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Earlier, the U.S. said it would support transferring advanced fighter jets, including U.S.-made F-16s, to Ukraine. Washington would also help train Ukrainian pilots to fly them, in a major decision that could see other nations follow suit.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor in the Ukrainian president's office, told NPR on Saturday that Ukraine welcomes the decision, which he noted was long overdue, as Russia has stepped up air attacks on Ukraine.

"Our military will need only a few months of intensive training to learn how to use, operate and repair the F-16," he said. "And I don't have the slightest doubt it will significantly strengthen our air defense."

The war in Ukraine is on top of the agenda in Hiroshima this week. On Friday, leaders agreed on more sanctions on Russia and urged Moscow to stop its ongoing aggression and "immediately, completely and unconditionally" withdraw its troops and military equipment from Ukraine.

In this photo provided by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, during the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 19, 2023. AP hide caption

In this photo provided by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, during the Arab summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Friday, May 19, 2023.

"We are imposing further sanctions and measures to increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort," the statement said. "We are also building on the success of our efforts to ensure that Russia is no longer able to weaponize the availability of energy against the world."

Before arriving in Japan, Zelenskyy attended the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia.

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Ukraine’s Zelensky to join Biden and other G-7 leaders in Hiroshima

Stopping by the city targeted in a 1945 atomic bombing, Zelensky could send a powerful warning on Russian escalation

HIROSHIMA, Japan — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is planning to attend the Group of Seven nations summit in person this weekend, giving a powerful symbolic boost to his warnings about Russia’s potential to escalate the war in Ukraine by visiting Hiroshima, a site of nuclear destruction in World War II.

Zelensky, who has displayed a knack for resonant gestures and stark messages, has been pressing for more Western support for planes and military equipment, and he has earned new commitments for billions of dollars in military support during recent trips to Germany, France, Italy and Britain — all G-7 members.

Zelensky’s surprise visit, along with President Biden’s decision to truncate his trip because of the debt ceiling fight in the U.S., shifts his trip’s focus in many ways from confronting China to supporting Ukraine. The G-7 leaders Friday released their first-ever statement on nuclear disarmament, sharply criticizing Russia’s approach to the issue.

“Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, undermining of arms control regimes, and stated intent to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus are dangerous and unacceptable,” the statement said, adding, “We reiterate our position that threats by Russia of nuclear weapon use, let alone any use of nuclear weapons by Russia, in the context of its aggression against Ukraine are inadmissible.”

The statement also criticized the pursuit of nuclear weapons by North Korea and Iran and asserted that “China’s accelerating build-up of its nuclear arsenal without transparency nor meaningful dialogue poses a concern to global and regional stability.”

But the focus was on Russia, as the leaders of the seven powerful democracies took aim at Moscow’s decision to suspend its participation in New START , its current arms control treaty with the United States, as well as its efforts to capture Ukraine’s nuclear energy facilities.

Zelensky had been scheduled to attend the summit virtually on Sunday, but the Ukrainian leader is now expected to come in person on Saturday, according to people familiar with the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive travel. Zelensky’s visit, however, was not confirmed publicly by his office, and his precise plans were not clear.

His visit, first reported by the Financial Times, is the latest in a flurry of travel by Zelensky outside his war-torn country as he seeks to stave off any slacking of the global effort to help Ukraine, now well into its second year of war. This will be the Ukrainian president’s first visit to Asia since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

In another surprise trip, Zelensky on Friday traveled to Saudi Arabia, where he addressed the Arab League summit and meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Zelensky, as he has often does, tailored his comments to his audience, highlighting the plight of the Muslim Tatar population in Crimea, part of Ukraine that was annexed by Russia in 2014.

“Look at how much suffering the long term wars have brought to Libya, Syria, Yemen, how many lives have been wasted by years of fighting in Sudan and Somalia, in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Zelensky told the Arab League. “Everyone who adds to suffering by his new aggressions, everyone who sows enmity, everyone who wants to bring back the old days of invading … every aggressor … will be cursed by the people.”

President Biden had initially planned a three-country swing through the Indo-Pacific aimed at countering China’s growing influence and economic expansion throughout the region. But his decision to cancel stops in Papua New Guinea and Australia to fly home to deal with an ongoing debt crisis — combined with Zelensky’s in-person visit — meant Ukraine would be a major focus of the economic summit.

Biden was initially scheduled to meet with the leaders of Japan, India and Australia — the other members of the “Quad” aimed at countering China — during his stay in Sydney. That meeting has now been rescheduled for Saturday in Japan.

But it’s clear that much of the talk at the G-7 will center on the Ukraine war. “There will be discussions about the state of play on the battlefield,” Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters aboard Air Force One before arriving in Japan. “There will be discussions about the state of play on sanctions, and the steps that the G-7 will collectively commit to on enforcement in particular.”

The emotional core of the summit revolves around its location in Hiroshima, one of the only two sites, along with the city of Nagasaki, where a nuclear weapon was used in warfare. The world leaders kicked off their summit Friday with a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, paying their respects to the victims of the 1945 bombing by planting a cherry blossom tree grown from one that survived the nuclear attack.

The leaders also met privately with Keiko Ogura, a hibakusha, or a survivor of the bombing.

Ogura, 85, lived 1½ miles from the hypocenter of the blast as an 8-year-old in 1945. In 1984, she founded Hiroshima Interpreters for Peace, a group that translates the testimonies of A-bomb survivors into English and advocates for a nuclear-free world. Her late husband was the director of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Biden did not offer any public remarks Friday, spending the day mostly behind closed doors with other leaders. Before the visit, Sullivan said the president would not issue an apology on behalf of the United States for the use of the atomic bomb. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed more than 100,000 people , including from radiation poisoning in the days and years after the bombing itself; American leaders argued it was necessary to end the war and prevent even more deaths.

“This is not, from his perspective, a bilateral moment,” Sullivan told reporters. “This is him, as one of the G-7 leaders, coming to pay respects both for history but also respects to Prime Minister [Fumio] Kishida, who of course is from Hiroshima.”

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui said in an interview before the summit that he did not expect Biden to be asked for an apology, but rather for a commitment to do everything he can to avoid any use of nuclear weapons.

“If President Biden understands the inhumanity of the nuclear weapons, and has a true understanding, and has determination that this kind of tragedy should not be repeated, and works for a world with nuclear weapons, and has some concrete strategies or measures to achieve that goal — that’s what we expect from world leaders and President Biden,” Matsui said.

Japanese leaders acknowledge that they are making this pitch for disarmament at a time when many countries, from North Korea to Iran, are moving in the opposite direction.

“The destructive power of nuclear weapons is just beyond description,” Matsui said. “Reason, rational thinking, should be able to tell us that. That’s what I’d like to expect from world leaders. I know that it is not easy, but if we do not take that course, human beings will be annihilated.”

Japan's disarmament push runs into a rising nuclear tide

The G-7 leaders also touched on the novel subject of artificial intelligence and how it should be governed, though they deferred any decisions. The nations’ cabinet ministers will now launch a “Hiroshima AI process” aimed at producing a report by year’s end on how to ensure that AI develops in a way consistent with the G-7′s values.

To underline their united front against Russia, the leaders announced new sanctions on Moscow. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote on Twitter that the United Kingdom would be “banning all imports of Russian diamonds, copper, aluminum and nickel.”

The U.S. announced it was sanctioning 22 individuals and 104 entities , aimed especially at those who have sought ways of getting around the current penalties for engaging with Russia. “We will continue to expand export controls to make it even harder for Russia to sustain its war machine,” a senior administration official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement.

The Treasury Department also said it was expanding sanctions to target new parts of Russia’s economy.

Biden launches Asia trip this week aimed at taking on China

“These will go after circumvention. These will go after financial facilitators, as well as future energy and extractive capabilities of Russia and other actors helping to support the war,” the official said. “This will include designations across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.”

Julia Mio Inuma and Toluse Olorunnipa in Hiroshima and David L. Stern in Kyiv contributed to this report.

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Ukraine's Zelenskyy set to attend G7 Hiroshima summit in person

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Hiroshima to join the Group of Seven leaders summit in the atomic-bombed city, multiple reports said Friday, on a trip that would be rich in symbolism amid Russian nuclear saber-rattling in the bloody war against its neighbor.

A senior Ukrainian government official appeared to confirm the visit to Hiroshima.

"There will be very important matters decided there, so physical presence is a crucial thing to defend our interests," Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, told Ukrainian state television.

Asked by reporters on Friday evening about Zelenskyy's possible trip, Kishida refused to confirm reports, in an apparent attempt to maintain the focus on the summit’s agenda, pointing to a post to a Ukrainian defense website statement that maintained Zelenskyy would be joining G7 leaders in an online format.

The Ukrainian leader arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday for an Arab League summit ahead of the Japan visit, he tweeted.

Zelenskyy may also tour the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum during his trip. G7 leaders on Friday visited the site and spoke with a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing and were guided by Kishida through vivid exhibits displaying the horrors of nuclear weapons.

Touring the museum in the atomic-bombed city would be a highly symbolic move following numerous fiery threats by top Russian officials to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, including one in March by former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who said that Western arms shipments to Kyiv were bringing “nuclear apocalypse” closer.

The Ukrainian president had originally been scheduled to participate in an online session on Sunday, the closing day of the summit.

He was expected to fly on a U.S. military plane to Hiroshima after a stop in Saudi Arabia to attend the Arab League summit, Bloomberg News reported, quoting unidentified sources.

G7 leaders on Friday agreed on a fresh set of measures to rein in Moscow’s “war machine” and “increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its war effort.”

Zelenskyy recently wrapped up a tour of the European G7 members, confirming their support ahead of a highly anticipated counteroffensive. The Ukrainian leader is widely believed to be looking to solidify territorial gains in order to use that as leverage in any eventual peace talks with the Russian side.

In his quick visit to Kyiv in March, Kishida invited the Ukrainian leader to participate virtually in the G7 summit.

Zelenskyy’s visit to Hiroshima — the home of Kishida's district — is widely regarded as a notable win for Tokyo’s diplomatic corps, as it would mark only the second trip outside of Europe by the Ukrainian leader after his visit to Washington last December.

An in-person meeting with G7 leaders, as well as representatives from other countries and international organizations invited to the summit, could add weight to discussions on the war and further cement the united front against Russia.

As countries in the unofficial "Global South" grouping of developing nations — including some of those invited to the summit, notably Brazil and India — have shown reluctance in condemning the war, Zelenskyy’s physical presence at the summit would convey a strong message of solidarity that exceeds the G7 framework.

The visit would also mark the latest in a spate of foreign policy achievements for Kishida, whose approval ratings have seen an uptick in recent months due mainly to efforts to repair ties with neighboring South Korea.

Amid growing rumors of a snap election soon after the Hiroshima summit, Kishida’s ability to score further points during the expected Zelenskyy meeting could have a significant impact on the domestic front as well.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

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Ukraine’s Zelensky to visit Hiroshima G-7 summit in person

TOKYO – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Hiroshima, Japan, to join the Group of Seven (G-7) leaders in person, according to people familiar with the plans.

Mr Zelensky will fly on a United States military plane to Japan after an expected stop in Saudi Arabia to attend the Arab League summit, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information.

A spokesman for the US National Security Council declined to comment.

Japanese officials had previously said Mr Zelensky would join the others virtually, even while they added an extra session on Ukraine on Sunday to accommodate the Ukrainian leader’s schedule.

A spokesman for Japan’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment further on Friday.

The visit to Hiroshima, ground zero for the first nuclear attack 78 years ago, is particularly symbolic given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s periodic threats to use atomic weapons in Ukraine.

G-7 leaders will hold talks on further responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during meetings that began on Friday.

Bloomberg reported that the nations will agree to work together to track Russian diamonds, but stop short of slapping Moscow with an outright ban on the lucrative gem trade.

Barrages of sanctions have crimped growth but failed to deter Mr Putin’s military assault on Ukraine, and Russia’s economy has been underpinned by commodity and energy exports to countries outside the G-7.

Over the past week, Mr Zelensky toured European capitals to make the case for more weapons deliveries.

His trip to Berlin coincided with Germany announcing its largest aid package yet, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged support for a coalition to help provide Ukraine with Western-made fighter jets, though no concrete plans were set.

It is still not clear whether US President Joe Biden would sign off on sending American jets as well.

Although Ukraine has sought more advanced fighter jets since the first days of Russia’s invasion in 2022, Western governments have resisted the requests over concerns about the risk of escalating tensions with Moscow. BLOOMBERG

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Japan says Zelenskyy will visit Hiroshima to join G7 summit session on Ukraine

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Japan announced Saturday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Japan to join Group of Seven leaders in a session on Ukraine.

Zelenskyy is expected to arrive in Hiroshima, the site of the world's first atomic attack in western Japan, later Saturday.

He will join leaders of the G7 wealthy nations at a session on Ukraine on Sunday. He was originally scheduled to join a session online on Friday, but that plan changed after Zelenskyy expressed a “strong wish” to participate in person, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Japan had earlier refused to confirm Zelenskyy's visit and insisted until late Friday night that he would only participate online.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will hold talks with Zelenskyy during his Hiroshima visit, the ministry statement said.

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Japanese atomic bomb survivors worry Zelenskyy’s G7 visit overshadows nuke disarmament message

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have a talk after laying flowers in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after he was invited to the Group of Seven (G7) nations’ summit in Hiroshima, western Japan Sunday, May 21, 2023. The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen in the background. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, third left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, right, have a talk after laying flowers in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after he was invited to the Group of Seven (G7) nations’ summit in Hiroshima, western Japan Sunday, May 21, 2023. The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen in the background. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center front, waits for a car after laying flowers in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after he was invited to the Group of Seven (G7) nations’ summit in Hiroshima, western Japan Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, is escorted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after he was invited to the Group of Seven (G7) nations’ summit in Hiroshima, western Japan Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, is escorted by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to lay flowers in front of the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after he was invited to the Group of Seven (G7) nations’ summit in Hiroshima, western Japan Sunday, May 21, 2023. The Atomic Bomb Dome is seen in the background. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, left, escorts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after Zelenskyy was invited to the Group of Seven (G7) nations’ summit in Hiroshima, western Japan Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, Pool)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a news conference at the Group of Seven nations’ summit in Hiroshima, western Japan, Sunday, May 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte, Pool)

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HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s last-minute participation Sunday in the Group of Seven summit has brought intense global attention to Russia’s invasion of his nation. But it has also worried atomic bomb survivors who said the high-profile visit overshadowed a rare chance to push world leaders to focus on nuclear abolishment.

Zelenskyy’s inclusion at the G7 gathering of the richest democracies — and his pursuit of more weapons and other support for Ukraine, rather than a diplomatic pursuit to end the war — sends the wrong message, activists and victims said.

“Zelenskyy’s visit is not appropriate for Hiroshima, which is a peace-loving city,” said Etsuko Nakatani, an activist whose parents survived the Hiroshima atomic bombing in 1945.

Many Hiroshima residents hope that understanding the city’s tragic past will push leaders to “take up the abolition of nuclear weapons as an urgent political issue, not an ideal,” she said. “But support for nuclear deterrence has persisted, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, seems to have justified it further.”

Yuta Takahashi, a Hiroshima-born activist, believes that Zelenskyy’s visit threatens to send a message “that justifies the need for nuclear deterrence in order to save Ukraine from becoming another Hiroshima,” he said. “It only makes us feel that Hiroshima was merely used by nuclear states to send a peace message.”

The summit started with a G7 leaders’ visit to a peace park and a museum dedicated to those who died in the world’s first wartime atomic bombing, and a similar visit of leaders from eight guest nations Sunday. After wrapping up all summit programs later Sunday, Kishida held a separate tour for Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy, asked at a news conference if he thought he took away attention from other important summit issues, including cooperation with so-called Global South nations, said only, “I need to be here.”

Earlier Sunday, Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol prayed at a memorial dedicated to Korean victims of the atomic bombing . The neighbors are trying to improve ties that have been strained by disputes stemming from Japan’s brutal colonial rule from 1910 to 1945.

Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, wanted to highlight the G7 commitment to nuclear disarmament and a condemnation of Russia’s threats to use atomic weapons. But he has been faulted by survivors for refusing to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Kishida says it’s unworkable because no nuclear state has signed.

Kishida has pledged to serve as a bridge between nuclear and non-nuclear states, but critics say his promise is hollow because Japan relies on its U.S. ally’s nuclear umbrella for protection and has been rapidly expanding its military.

Kunihiko Sakuma, who was exposed as a baby to radiation from the bombing, said that G7 leaders should focus more on diplomatic efforts to end the war.

The G7 leaders issued a joint statement on nuclear disarmament that calls for the continued non-use of nuclear weapons, transparency and dialogue between nuclear and non-nuclear states, but it justifies nuclear weapons meant to “serve defensive purposes, deter aggression and prevent war and coercion.”

Zelenskyy has consistently called for Western fighter jets to bolster his country’s defenses.

On Friday, U.S. President Joe 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 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 Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war effort.

The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, a coalition of non-governmental organizations that received a Nobel Peace Prize for working on the 2017 adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, said G7 leaders have failed to meaningfully acknowledge the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons or meet the demands of the bomb victims, called hibakusha, for concrete steps to eliminate nuclear weapons.

“Instead of rising to meet the urgency and weight of this moment, the G7’s inaction is an insult to the hibakusha, and the memory of those who died in Hiroshima,” the group said.

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Zelensky holds 'focused' call with Orban, invites him to peace summit

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President Volodymyr Zelensky held "a lengthy and focused" call with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on May 8, Zelensky wrote on X.

Zelensky invited Orban to Ukraine's peace summit , which will be held in Switzerland on June 15-16.

Leaders of several European countries confirmed that they would be attending the event. Some 160 national delegations will be reportedly invited to the talks.

"Hungary's position is important to us in terms of bringing peace closer and of our shared regional security," the president said .

The two also discussed the next steps "to resolve the full range of bilateral issues in a mutually beneficial manner" as well as Ukraine's accession to the European Union , according to Zelensky.

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Ukraine Weekly By Olga Rudenko

"I underscored Ukraine's interest in good-neighborly relations with Hungary, as well as in the development of cooperation in trade, energy, and logistics," he added.

Hungary is the only EU country to have maintained close ties with the Kremlin since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Budapest has repeatedly opposed sanctions against Moscow and obstructed EU support for Kyiv.

Zelensky and Orban were last seen talking on the sidelines of the inauguration of Argentina's President Javier Milei on Dec. 10, 2023, which Ukraine's president described as a "frank" conversation.

Olha Stefanishyna, the deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, said in January that Ukraine was working to organize an official visi t by Orban, the first in 14 years.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto later said that the time for Orban to meet Zelensky had not yet come.

Read also: Hungarian official says ‘positive signs’ in talks with Ukraine on national minorities

We’ve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent .

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Ukraine Says It Foiled Russian Plot to Kill Zelensky

The Ukrainian security services arrested two Ukrainian colonels and accused them of spying for Russia. They said the plot also targeted top Ukrainian intelligence officials.

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By Constant Méheut and Maria Varenikova

Reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine

Ukraine’s security services said on Tuesday that they had foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top military and political figures. Two Ukrainian colonels accused of participating in the plot have been arrested on suspicion of treason.

The Ukrainian domestic intelligence agency, the S.B.U., said in a statement that the plot had involved a network of agents — including the two colonels — that was run by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or F.S.B., the main successor to the K.G.B. According to the S.B.U., the agents working at Russia’s direction were tasked with identifying people close to Mr. Zelensky’s security detail who could take him hostage and later kill him.

The agency’s statement said the other top Ukrainian officials targeted in the plot included Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the S.B.U., and Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency. The Ukrainian claims could not be independently verified.

It is not the first time that Ukraine has reported a potential assassination attempt aimed at its top leaders. Mr. Zelensky said in an interview with an Italian television channel earlier this year that his security services had told him of more than 10 such efforts.

Ukraine’s security services offered few details about previous assassination plots. But this time, the agency went to some length in its statement to describe how the Ukrainian officials were to be killed.

The services said the two colonels accused in the plot belonged to the State Security Administration, which protects top officials. They had been recruited before the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, according to the statement, which identified three F.S.B. members — Maxim Mishustin, Dmytro Perlin and Oleksiy Kornev — as running the operation from Moscow. The two Ukrainian colonels were not named.

In a video released by the security services , a man identified as one of the colonels, his face blurred, describes details of the apparent plot that involved blocking Mr. Zelensky as he entered or left a building. The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed.

As for the assassination attempt aimed at General Budanov, the services said it was planned to take place before Orthodox Easter, which was celebrated on May 5. The F.S.B.’s network of agents in Ukraine was tasked with observing and passing on information about General Budanov’s whereabouts, the Ukrainian security services said.

Once his location had been confirmed and communicated, he would have been targeted in a multilayered attack involving a rocket strike, followed by a drone attack to kill people who were fleeing and then a second rocket strike, the security services said.

Weapons for the attack were provided to one of the colonels, including attack drones, ammunition for a rocket launcher and anti-personnel mines, according to the security services and Ukraine’s prosecutor general. The colonel was to pass the weapons to other agents to carry out the assault, the Ukrainian statement said.

Russia made no immediate comment about the Tuesday accusations.

The apparent assassination plot is just the latest in a series of attempted or successful attacks on Ukrainian figures.

General Budanov’s wife was poisoned late last year , according to the Ukrainian military intelligence agency, in an incident that led to widespread speculation that Russia was stepping up efforts to target Ukraine’s senior leadership. General Budanov said in February that it was difficult to say if the poisoning was an attempt to murder him, but he hinted that Russia was behind it.

Mr. Zelensky has also been the target of numerous assassination attempts, according to Ukraine’s security services. As recently as last month, the S.B.U. reported that it had arrested, in cooperation with Polish security services, a Polish man who it said had offered to spy for Russia as part of a plot to assassinate Mr. Zelensky.

Ukraine is also believed to have been involved in the killing of several pro-Kremlin voices in Russia. U.S. intelligence agencies believe that parts of the Ukrainian government authorized a car bombing that in 2022 killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist. And in December, a former Ukrainian lawmaker living near Moscow was assassinated by Ukrainian security service agents, according to a report by The Financial Times that cited two Ukrainian officials with direct knowledge of the incident.

Constant Méheut reports on the war in Ukraine, including battlefield developments, attacks on civilian centers and how the war is affecting its people. More about Constant Méheut

Maria Varenikova covers Ukraine and its war with Russia. More about Maria Varenikova

Ukraine war latest: 'Undeclared Russian military intelligence officer' expelled from UK

The Home Office has expelled a Russian defence attaché as part of a series of measures against Moscow. James Cleverly said the attaché was an "undeclared military intelligence officer". Ask our military analysts or international correspondents a question in the box below.

Wednesday 8 May 2024 20:00, UK

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Thanks for following our live coverage, we'll be back soon with more live updates. 

Kosovo's foreign minister has said her country is convinced Russia must lose the war in Ukraine for conflict not to spread further in Europe.

Donika Gervalla-Schwarz said her young nation's support for Ukraine was unconditional - despite Kyiv not having recognised Kosovo's independence.

Ms Gervalla-Schwarzd her small Balkan nation, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, is repeatedly reminded of the aggressive intentions of both Serbia and its ally Russia.

"Ukraine hasn't recognised the Republic of Kosovo as a state, but we really believe that we know exactly what Ukraine is going through," she told The Associated Press in an interview.

"And we know that there is only one solution, not only for Ukraine, but for Europe," she said.

"It can only be Russia to lose the war and Ukraine to win this war. Otherwise, Europe should prepare for other conflicts in our continent."

The people of Kosovo were the targets of war crimes and other atrocities by Serbia's security forces in the 1990s, an experience that led Kosovo to seek independence.

"While Kosovo is a small state with very modest possibilities to help, we have tried to be very helpful with Ukraine and have not hesitated to show our unconditional support and sympathy to the people and to the state of Ukraine," Ms Gervalla-Schwarz said.

Lord Cameron has called the UK's measures on a Russian defence attache "an unequivocal message" to Moscow. 

The foreign secretary was replying to James Cleverly's post on X in which he said the Home Office expelled a Russian defence attache as part of a series of measures against the country.

Other measures in the package include removing the diplomatic premises status from several Russian owned properties in the UK and capping the amount of time Russian diplomats can spend in the UK.

Budapest is once again raising eyebrows across the world's biggest military alliance as it pledges to defy a NATO initiative. 

The alliance's long-term plan to support Ukraine militarily was agreed in April, but was dubbed a "crazy mission" by Hungary's foreign minister today. 

Under the plans, NATO would take over some coordination work from a US-led coalition known as the Ramstein group.

Discussing the plans today, Peter Szijjarto said: "Hungary will stay out of NATO's crazy mission despite all the pressure."

Relations between Budapest and NATO have soured because of Hungary's foot-dragging over the ratification of Sweden's NATO accession - finally passed by Budapest in March - and also over nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban's close ties with Moscow. 

The Russian embassy in London has said there will be "an appropriate response" after Britain expelled a Russian defence attache.

The embassy said the restrictions that had been imposed were done under a "groundless and ridiculous pretext", according to Russian state news agency TASS.

It comes after Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was reported as telling journalists that the Kremlin will respond appropriately following the expulsion.

Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor

It's always assumed defence attaches play some kind of role gatherling intelligence and that is generally tolerated by their host countries. 

They could be gathering data about weapons production for instance or ship building but there is a line they are expected not to cross. 

The assumption here is that the Russians have broken the rules of the game.

But the British government will have thought long and hard before expelling the Russian. It doesn't come without cost.

In their day jobs defence attaches play a crucial role in liaising with their hosts.  That can be very important in terms of avoiding misunderstandings that could lead to unnecessary and dangerous escalation. 

Losing Russia’s defence attache in London deprives the UK of one more line of liaison at a time when clear understanding and clarification could be essential to avoiding deepening conflict.

That is not ideal at a time of war. 

What is not clear is how much these moves are connected specifically to the conduct of the Russians involved or should they actually be seen more as another chapter in the diplomatic war underway between Russia and the UK.

The UK has undoubtedly weakened Russia's ability to spy in the UK and gather intelligence but these measures will also affect Britain's ability to predict and avoid potential escalation. 

That will be made even worse if Russia, as may be expected, responds with like-for-like retaliation

Seven people have been injured by Russian shelling in eastern Kharkiv, according to the region's governor.

Oleg Synegubov said among those wounded was an eight-year-old girl and three boys, two aged 14 and the other 15. 

"Two [of the] boys are in serious condition, [the other] boy and [the] girl are in average condition," he said. 

One 55-year-old civilian of unspecified gender was also hospitalised. 

Two women had minor injuries. 

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has offered his thoughts on the expulsion of a Russian defence attache the government has accused of being an undeclared military intelligence officer. 

"Today we've expelled Russia's defence attache who has been working as an intelligence officer for Putin in the UK," he said on X. 

"We will not tolerate Putin’s efforts to undermine our nation and democracy and will continue to stand up for freedom here and in Ukraine."

Each week we ask readers for their questions on the war for our military analysts and international correspondents.

This week,  military analyst Sean Bell  answers:

Why is Ukraine focusing its drone attacks on oil refineries rather than near the front lines? Mike

Thanks, Mike, for this topical question.

Although the ultimate metric of success in this brutal war is territory gained, to achieve that outcome requires a more complex strategy than simply focusing on the frontline battle.

One of the reasons that the Royal Air Force was formed as an independent service was the recognition that greater impact could often be achieved by targeting enemy logistics and supply lines behind the frontline, rather than simply focusing effort on the "close battle".  

Military action is ultimately driven by political will to achieve a desired end-state; the military simply creates the conditions in which a political outcome can be achieved.  

At the tactical level of warfare, the focus is on the battles of individual soldiers and units prevailing against tactical targets.

However, at the other end of the spectrum, senior military strategists seek to attack the enemy's "centre of gravity" - the one thing that the enemy cannot afford to lose and thus must protect at all costs.

'Fight smarter'

In the Second World War, much of the Allied bombing effort was targeting German industrial capacity, as without the ability to regenerate military equipment and ammunition, the war would not be sustainable.  

Ukraine has a smaller army than Russia, and so any conventional attritional battle would favour Russia.

Therefore, Ukraine has to try to "fight smarter" and erode Russia's will - or capacity - to fight.  

A war on this scale consumes huge quantities of resource, which has to be funded in some way.  

Russia's oil exports fund Vladimir Putin's military campaign and also pay for imports of vital munitions from North Korea and Iran.  

By targeting the enemy's oil facilities Ukraine will be aiming to reduce Russia's export capacity, which in turn impacts Russia's ability to fund the war.  

That might not help the close battle, but could undermine Russia's commitment to a longer-duration conflict.

And, although drones are an "irritation" to the frontline forces, the quantity of explosives they are able to deliver is relatively small, so their effect is relatively limited.  

However, an oil facility is very vulnerable to a relatively small-scale explosion, which can spread swiftly to destroy a crucial part of Russia's critical national infrastructure - more bang per buck.

So, although Ukraine desperately needs to stop Russia from breaking through its frontlines, we can expect to see Ukraine continue to target energy infrastructure as part of a broader strategy in its war with Russia.

We now have more details regarding the freshly expelled Russian defence attache we reported on in our 1.10pm post. 

The attache accused by the Home Office of being an undeclared military intelligence officer spying for the Kremlin is Colonel Maxim Elovik. 

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Golden Week wraps as post-COVID tourism boom overcrowds stations

Train stations and airports were bustling with travelers returning from trips Monday, the last day of Japan's Golden Week holidays, with people experiencing the first spring holiday period completely unaffected by coronavirus-related travel restrictions in four years.

Despite higher costs resulting from the yen's sharp decline against other currencies, many travelers opted for overseas destinations nearly a year after the government downgraded COVID-19 to a lower-risk disease category.

Shinkansen bullet trains reached peak congestion Monday as carriages with unreserved seats were overcrowded, with occupancy reaching 100 percent on some trains, according to Japan Railway companies.

At Tokyo Station, where an announcement alerted passengers that some shinkansen services were delayed due to overcrowding, Mariko Ohira from Tokyo's Ota Ward expressed relief that she had reserved seats for herself and her son on their return trip from her parents' home in Yamagata Prefecture.

Tokyo's Haneda airport and Narita airport near the capital saw an influx of Japanese travelers returning home. Takehito Shibuya, a company manager from Shizuoka Prefecture who traveled to Taiwan said, "I was surprised as everything was expensive" because of the weak yen.

On May 8 last year, the government reclassified coronavirus as an infectious disease on par with the seasonal flu, facilitating the normalization of social and economic activities.

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