Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to continue his diplomatic push in Japan on May 21 as he bids to bolster support for his country’s defense against the Russian invasion following vows by Western allies to supply Kyiv with F-16 fighter jets and amid conflicting claims surrounding the monthslong battle in and around Bakhmut.
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Key on Zelenskiy’s agenda is a planned bilateral meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit that has brought together the leaders of the world’s leading economic powers.
Zelenskiy, who arrived in Japan on a French government plane after visiting the Arab summit in Saudi Arabia, met on May 20 with several key leaders, including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The Ukrainian leader said he thanked Sunak for his support in forming a coalition that has vowed to deliver F-16 jets to Kyiv in the upcoming months and to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the sophisticated U.S.-made fighters starting in the next few weeks.
“I thanked him for the leadership in developing our capabilities in the sky,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.
Zelenskiy also met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Charles Michel, the president of the European Council.
Michel told Zelenskiy that "the EU will work with G7 partners to target every pillar of the Russian economy to ensure Putin's war machine fails," according to Michel’s spokesman.
The spokesman added that Michel supports a multiyear financial aid plan for Ukraine, one that would highlight the EU's long-term commitment to the country.
Zelenskiy also met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, briefing him on the peace plan he has put forward that calls for the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine before any negotiations can be held.
“Serious talk. I gave an update on the progress of our Peace Formula. I believe India will participate in the restoration of the rules-based international order that all free nations clearly need,” Zelenskiy wrote.
India is among the nations that have not joined the international condemnation of Russian aggression following Moscow’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
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Late on May 20, the G7 issued a communique with a vow to step up sanctions on Russia for its unprovoked invasion.
“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,” the G7 said.
The G7 leaders began the summit with a visit to a peace park dedicated to the tens of thousands of people who died in the world’s first wartime atomic bomb detonation, dropped by the United States in World War II.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (right) and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima on May 20.
On the Ukraine battlefield, conflicting claims again surfaced around the Donetsk city of Bakhmut, scene of brutal fighting over the past several months.
Reuters reported that Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, claimed that Russian fighters had taken full control of the Donetsk regional city.
The report could not be independently confirmed, and Prigozhin has made similar claims in the past only to backtrack later.
Ukrainian military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatiy told Reuters that "this is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut."
However, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported "heavy fighting in Bakhmut” and said that “the situation is critical."