Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to win over Brazil and India at the G7 summit in Japan, where he called on leaders to unite behind his proposal to end Russia’s war.
Zelenskyy said there was a need for “the clear global leadership of democracy” to counter Moscow’s aggression, in a speech addressed to G7 leaders, along with India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“The more we all work together, the less likely anyone else in the world will follow Russia’s insane path,” Zelenskyy said on Sunday. “But is this enough? I think we need the clear global leadership of democracy. This is the main thing that we provide with our co-operation.”
The Ukrainian leader made the surprise decision to attend the Hiroshima summit in person, using the opportunity to confront Modi and Lula, the leaders of two developing countries who have worked to maintain close ties with Moscow. China, which has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion, has also tried to position itself as a peacemaker by calling for a ceasefire.
Zelenskyy’s 10-point plan to end the conflict includes a demand for Moscow to withdraw all its troops and for Ukraine’s full territorial integrity to be restored. China’s peace plan, which was presented in February, does not call for Russia’s full withdrawal before peace negotiations are opened.
“As long as Russian invaders remain on our land, no one will sit down at the negotiating table with Russia. The coloniser must get out. And the world has enough power to force Russia to restore peace step by step,” he added.
During Sunday’s meeting, Zelenskyy told Lula and Modi that the war in Ukraine was a war against the UN charter and international law, appealing to them to support Kyiv in order to defend those principles for all countries, according to people briefed on the conversation.
“By inviting President Zelenskyy to Japan, we were able to demonstrate steadfast solidarity between the G7 and Ukraine,” said Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida after hosting the Hiroshima summit.
At a news conference on Sunday, UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said any peace settlement has to be “on Ukraine’s terms”.
“In other words, we must, and we will show that violent territorial aggression does not reap rewards,” Sunak said. “Those calling for peace but really meaning a ceasefire should recognise that that is not a just and durable peace.”
US and western officials have pilloried the Chinese plan. After its release, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said China “does not have much credibility” since it had not condemned the invasion.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken said any proposal was worth looking at, but pointed out that the war “would end tomorrow” if Russia adhered to the first point in the Chinese plan, which underscored the need to respect the sovereignty of nations.
Earlier in the day, Joe Biden held a bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy, reaffirming his commitment to helping Ukraine shortly after his administration unveiled a new $375mn arms package for the country “to build Ukraine’s long-term capacity to defend against and deter Russian aggression”.
Zelenskyy shared photographs of him with Biden, saying the two had “discussed further co-operation to bolster the defence capabilities of our state, as well as the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula.”
The White House added that the two leaders also discussed the plan for the US to support efforts to train Ukrainian pilots to fly fourth-generation fighter jets, including F-16s. The meeting came two days after the US, UK and Canada unveiled a new round of sanctions on Russia to make it more difficult for the country to obtain material it needs for its invasion of Ukraine.
The US has been the largest backer of Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in 2014. It significantly stepped up military aid to Kyiv after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, delivering Nato-grade weaponry, including armoured vehicles, artillery systems, air defence and more.