Russia has lambasted G7 leaders for using the summit to whip up “hateful” global “anti-Russian and anti-Chinese hysteria,” as Ukraine secured more international support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial on Sunday (May 21) after a series of meetings with Group of 7 and other leaders.
“The leaders of the G7 brought to their meeting the ringleader of the Kyiv regime they control and turned the Hiroshima event into a propaganda show,” the Russian foreign ministry said.
The summit’s “main conclusion was a bunch of announcements filled with hateful anti-Russian and also anti-Chinese messages,” a statement said.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after laying flowers at the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, following the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima. Picture: AFP
The ministry said the G7 has become “an incubator in which, under the leadership of the Anglo-Saxons, destructive initiatives that undermine global stability are worked out”.
The West’s decline in global influence “is forcing the members of this body to put all their efforts into whipping up anti-Russian and anti-Chinese hysteria,” the statement said.
“We are certain that our evaluation of the G7 and its destructive actions is shared by the majority of the international community,” it added.
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (L) and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (C) during a visit to the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bom. Picture: AFP
It comes as Mr Zelenskyy secured more arms, munitions and “unwavering” diplomatic support from allies at a G7 summit in Japan Sunday, as Ukrainian forces suffered a significant battlefield setback.
After two days of talks in Hiroshima — a city synonymous with the horrors of nuclear war — Zelenskyy won a commitment from the United States for yet more “ammunition, artillery, armoured vehicles” on top of long-sought access to F-16 jets.
But the military boost came as Russia claimed to have taken control of Bakhmut, the scene of months of fierce fighting that has all but razed the city.
Mr Zelenskyy acknowledged Moscow’s troops were inside the city but insisted it was “not occupied”.
After laying flowers at a memorial to victims of the 1945 atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, Zelenskyy tearfully compared the carnage of 78 years ago to the carnage of Ukraine today.
“The photos of Hiroshima remind me of Bakhmut. There is absolutely nothing alive, all the buildings are destroyed,” Mr Zelenskyy said.
“Absolute total destruction. There is nothing, there are no people.” But he vowed that, like Hiroshima, Ukraine would recover.
US President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference following the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima. Picture: AFP
For their part, US President Joe Biden and other G7 leaders signalled they were under no illusions that Russia’s 15-month-old invasion would end quickly, vowing to support Ukraine as long as it takes.
“Will not waver, Putin will not break our resolve as he thought he could,” Biden said.
The White House earlier unveiled a $375 million package of US aid that includes ammunition for HIMAR rocket launchers, artillery shells, antitank guided missiles and thermal imaging systems.
This, just days after the United States lifted a veto on Ukrainian access to advanced US-made F-16 fighter jets, was a significant upgrade from Kyiv’s Cold War-era fleet for MiGs and Sukhois.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the message from Ukraine and its allies was clear: “Russia must withdraw troops”.
Any peace plan, he said, “can’t simply be linked to a freeze of the conflict”.
“Russia should not bet that if it holds out long enough, it will end up weakening support for Ukraine.”
As well as securing diplomatic backing from allies, the visit afforded Mr Zelenskyy a rare opportunity to win over a handful of nations who have pointedly offered little or no condemnation of Russia’s invasion.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pauses during a news conference following the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima. Picture: AFP
Leaders from India, Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia were among those invited to attend the summit as non-members.
After a one-on-one meeting, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Zelenskyy: “I understand your pain and the pain of Ukrainian citizens very well.”
“I can assure you that to resolve this India and, me personally, will do whatever we can do.” African Union chair and Comoros President Azali Assoumani told AFP that Zelenskyy’s meeting with G7 leaders and other invited countries had become “emotional” when the Ukrainian president recalled his country’s travails.
“We condemned the war, we supported Zelenskyy, and I personally and sincerely saluted his courage,” he said.
But Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has accused the West of “encouraging the war”, did not meet his Ukrainian counterpart.