G7 summit: Zelensky to travel to Japan to take part in G7 summit, reports say

Volodymyr Zelensky is readying to articulation the G7 acme successful Japan, reports say, successful a bid to unafraid strengthened enactment up of a planned counteroffensive successful the Ukraine war.

The Ukrainian president is expected to get successful Hiroshima connected Sunday, though his bureau has not confirmed the visit.

On Friday, Mr Zelensky flew to Saudi Arabia to conscionable leaders of Arab nations.

The G7 acme kicked disconnected connected Friday with a renewed condemnation of Russia and an announcement of further sanctions.

The radical of 7 nations, made up of the US, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan, correspond the world's richest democracies. This twelvemonth 8 different countries specified arsenic Australia and India person besides been invited.

Mr Zelensky had been slated to look astatine the acme by videolink, but speculation has been rife that helium oregon his wife, who precocious visited South Korea, would be successful person.

The travel volition beryllium the furthest helium has travelled from Kyiv since the warfare began successful February 2022, and similar different trips extracurricular of Ukraine it could airs a imaginable hazard to his safety.

But the calculation is that the hazard is worthy taking if it means securing adjacent much assistance successful his combat against Russia.

"When a idiosyncratic is determination acold away, crossed the ocean, determination else, they bash not ever consciousness and recognize what is happening connected the territory of our country. It is the carnal beingness of our president that is highly important astatine specified events," said Oleksiy Danilov, the caput of Ukraine's almighty National Security and Defence Council.

Several quality agencies person reported that Mr Zelensky volition question to the summit, though it has not been officially confirmed.

In the past fewer days Mr Zelensky has visited Italy, Germany, France and the UK, wherever helium nailed down promises of subject support. He besides continues to propulsion allies to signifier a "coalition of jets" to supply precocious combatant jets to Ukraine, but truthful acold nary state has committed to straight supply the warplanes.

On Friday, Mr Zelensky arrived successful Saudi Arabia to be the Arab League summit, travelling determination connected a level loaned by the French government. It's thought helium volition question from determination to the G7 summit.

Once helium reaches Hiroshima helium is apt to effort to transportation leaders much cautious successful lending aid, specified arsenic Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and Indian person Narendra Modi.

"By showing up successful person, it is simply a accidental for him to guarantee helium does not travel distant bare handed, and that helium volition caput backmost to Kyiv his arms afloat with the weapons deals that helium wants", including a committedness of lethal weapons from Japan, said John Kirton, manager of the G7 Research Group deliberation tank.

Though Japan has been hugely sympathetic to Ukraine, its strict subject laws person meant that truthful acold it has lone fixed non-lethal defence equipment.

On a drizzly Friday morning, G7 leaders were welcomed by Mr Kishida astatine the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park wherever they laid wreaths to honour those who died successful the US atomic bombing which hastened the extremity of World War Two.

The summit's archetypal time ended with a connection successful which subordinate countries pledged "new steps" to halt the warfare successful Ukraine and promised further sanctions to "increase the costs to Russia and those who are supporting its warfare effort".

They said they would "starve Russia of G7 technology, concern instrumentality and services that enactment its warfare machine" and bounds Russia's gross from vigor and diamond sales.

The summit, which ends connected Sunday, is expected to extremity with a communique connected the warfare successful Ukraine and a connection connected the non-proliferation of atomic weapons.