It’s safe to say that Volodymyr Zelensky has stolen the show at G7 with his surprise visit to Hiroshima.
Volodymyr Zelensky has indeed stolen the show at the G7 summit with his surprise visit to Hiroshima. The anticipation surrounding his trip to Japan has been a topic of discussion for the past 24 hours, capturing the attention of the media. The news of his possible visit emerged on Friday, coinciding with the leaders’ visit to a peace memorial park in Hiroshima.
However, there have been conflicting statements from Ukrainian officials regarding his presence. Initially, it was suggested that Zelensky would stay in Kyiv and participate via video link as originally planned. Then, there were indications that he would make the trip, followed by subsequent statements indicating that he would not be attending after all. This uncertainty has added to the intrigue surrounding his potential presence at the summit.
It was perhaps a sign that, while his visit was reportedly mooted weeks ago in chats between Zelensky and Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, the final decision was made abruptly.
Nobody was sure when he would arrive, until the live vision of his French plane touching down at Hiroshima airport suddenly flashed on TVs here in the G7 media center, sending a frisson of excitement among the press pack.
Now that he is here, his star power adds a zing to the placid diplomatic proceedings – maybe even threatens to overshadow it. But it is unlikely the G7 leaders will mind. After all, the Ukraine war was going to be top of the agenda of the summit.
Their sanctions so far have failed to stop Russia’s invasion, and Friday’s pledge to “starve” Russia of resources for its “war machine” remains vague.
But with the optics of world leaders literally standing shoulder to shoulder with Zelensky, as they pledge to aid him with his request of a “coalition of jets”, the calculation is to send a firm message to Moscow: We mean business.
