Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, would travel to Japan to join the G-7 summit in Hiroshima in person, top Ukrainian officials announced on Friday.
“Very important things are decided there, so the physical presence of our president is absolutely important to represent our interests,’’ Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov said on Ukrainian television.
Zelensky would join representatives from the seven major democratic industrial nations, known collectively as the G-7, for at least part of their three-day summit, which would end Sunday.
The Japanese government initially said that Zelensky would join meetings by video from Ukraine instead.
“The physical presence of our president is extremely important at such events,’’ Danilov said.
Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is among the main topics of the meeting.
Various new punitive measures aimed at Russia were announced at the start of the summit, including export controls on goods that could be used for military purposes.
Dozens more companies and individuals were also added to sanctions lists.
The leaders were also expected to discuss how to deal with a more assertive China and its claims over Taiwan.
The summit began on Friday with a ceremony remembering those killed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II.
The heads of state and government visited the memorial to the victims of the bomb dropped by the U.S. Air Force on Aug. 6, 1945.
These laid floral wreaths were presented to them by Japanese schoolchildren at a cenotaph in the city’s Peace Memorial Park.
The bomb devastated the city, killing an estimated 70,000 people immediately and a further 70,000 to 80,000 over the following months.
A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later.
The bombs were the first use of a nuclear weapon, and nuclear weapons have not been used since.
Zelensky had travelled through several G-7 countries in the past few days and has appealed for further support from his partners during visits to Rome, Berlin, Paris and London.
He is expected to appeal for further Western support for Ukraine in Japan.
Ukraine has received extensive military and economic support as it battles the Russian invasion.
But Ukraine had so far been rebuffed in its requests for advanced Western fighter aircraft, especially the U.S.-made F-16.
Prior to the summit opening, China accused the U.S. of “coercive diplomacy’’ in a lengthy report.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged that the U.S. had a “very disgraceful ‘dark history’ in coercive diplomacy,’’ it said.
“The U.S. is used to accusing other countries of using great power status, coercive policies and economic coercion to coerce other countries to obey and engage in coercive diplomacy.
“In fact, the U.S. is the instigator of coercive diplomacy.
“Countries around the world have suffered, with developing countries bearing the brunt of it, and even U.S.’ allies and partners have not been spared,’’ China said.
Japan currently holds the G-7 presidency of the group, which also includes the U.S., Germany, France, Italy, Britain and Canada.
