Volodymyr Zelensky set to face Vladimir Putin’s supporters at G7 summit

Volodymyr Zelensky will take his pitch for support beyond his Western allies with a scene-stealing appearance at the G7 summit on Sunday, facing the leaders of India and Brazil after they decided not to roll back sanctions against Russia .

The Ukrainian president’s first trip to Asia since the start of the war will bring him face-to-face with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil – leaders of two important developing countries that have nevertheless maintained close ties with Moscow demanded to be maintained. Full scale invasion of Ukraine.

The pair have also drawn attention to who is to blame for the conflict, with Kiev preparing to retaliate.

Following his equally unexpected decision to attend an Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia on Friday by way of Hiroshima, Zelensky’s G7 appearance will test his efforts to expand his support alliance beyond NATO states and US allies.

Brendan Boyle, a Democratic congressman and co-chair of the European Union Caucus in the House of Representatives, said that Zelensky’s presence was a “unique opportunity” for him to take advantage of peer pressure on Modi and Lula in the presence of the G7 leaders.

Boyle said, “It’s one thing for Modi or Lula to ignore Zelensky at home.” “But it’s a whole different thing to try to ignore him when you have the President of the United States standing right next to him.”

Officials said Zelensky’s surprise move to fly to Saudi Arabia and then Japan was kept secret until Friday for security reasons, but all attendees agreed in the weeks leading up to the event. He reached Japan on Saturday.

India and Brazil, two of the world’s most powerful developing countries, have not supported sanctions against Russia and maintain close political and trade ties with Moscow, which is a partner in the BRICS grouping along with South Africa and China.

Both countries have refrained from taking similar steps over China’s political support for Moscow, or South Africa’s alleged role in supplying arms to Russia.

But moves such as India’s role in processing Russian crude oil and diamonds, and Brazil’s refusal to sell ammunition to Germany on the grounds that it could help Ukraine, have angered Western partners.

New Delhi voted in a UN vote in February to demand that Russia end its invasion, and its growing thirst for Russian oil over the past year has helped push Moscow’s crude exports to higher levels since last month’s invasion. helped.

Brazil backs February’s UN resolution, but Lula has been accused of fueling Russian propaganda by claiming that both Kiev and Moscow are to blame for the conflict and that Ukraine “doesn’t want to stop” the war .

A senior G7 diplomat said the opportunity for Zelensky to speak directly with Modi, Lula and the other guests from developing countries “was the best way to explain why he was coming, because he had already met all the G7 leaders”. have met”. “It is part of our joint outreach (to developing countries) and a big step forward for Zelensky.”

The senior diplomat said, “The Japanese will not proceed without proper consultations and large-scale preparations.”

François Heisberg, an advisor at the Paris-based Fondation pour la Recherche strategic think-tank, said: “The basic justification is what investors would call a roadshow. If you look into the eyes of Lula and Modi, it’s a big bonus.

“He’s been to various (Western) capitals, and now he’s going to see people he hasn’t met before. He’s shaping the political battlefield,” Heisberg said.

Zelensky is expected to attend two separate sessions on Sunday – one solely with G7 members, and another with other guests including Modi, Lula and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Russia, which was a member of the G8 before being expelled for annexing Crimea, was not invited to the Hiroshima summit.

For host nation Japan, the gathering is seen as a once-in-seven-year opportunity to focus the attention of its Western allies on the threats posed by China’s military and economic ambitions.

Paul Henley, a former top White House China official, said Beijing would not welcome a move by the G7 to use Zelensky’s participation to connect security issues in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

“The biggest concern (for China) would be if the G7 uses Zelensky’s presence to make a connection to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the risk of Chinese aggression on Taiwan,” said Hanley, who now runs a think-tank Carnegie is the director of China.

Zelensky’s visit risks focusing the G7’s agenda on Ukraine, but officials in Tokyo also say it will bring together Ukraine as well as key players in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. offers a rare opportunity to bring together

“Hopefully this will deepen understanding of Ukraine’s situation in the Global South,” said a Japanese government official.

Hideki Shinoda, a professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, said Zelensky’s presence at an event organized by Indo-Pacific leaders could reinforce Japanese PM Fumio Kishida’s message that security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific were “inseparable”.

Richard McGregor, an Asia expert at the Lowy Institute think-tank, said Zelensky’s presence would serve as a “symbol of unity” against Russia, but added that Modi and Lula’s presence would be “an uncomfortable reminder” that there were limits. unity on ukraine

He noted that in the past Tokyo had been reluctant to criticize Russia, and added: “The most welcome part of that limited show of unity is the fact that it is coming at the invitation of Japan.”

Volodymyr Zelensky will take his pitch for support beyond his Western allies with a scene-stealing appearance at the G7 summit on Sunday, facing the leaders of India and Brazil after they decided not to roll back sanctions against Russia .

The Ukrainian president’s first trip to Asia since the start of the war will bring him face-to-face with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil – leaders of two important developing countries that have nevertheless maintained close ties with Moscow demanded to be maintained. Full scale invasion of Ukraine.

The pair have also drawn attention to who is to blame for the conflict, with Kiev preparing to retaliate.

Following his equally unexpected decision to attend an Arab League meeting in Saudi Arabia on Friday by way of Hiroshima, Zelensky’s G7 appearance will test his efforts to expand his support alliance beyond NATO states and US allies.

Brendan Boyle, a Democratic congressman and co-chair of the European Union Caucus in the House of Representatives, said that Zelensky’s presence was a “unique opportunity” for him to take advantage of peer pressure on Modi and Lula in the presence of the G7 leaders.

Boyle said, “It’s one thing for Modi or Lula to ignore Zelensky at home.” “But it’s a whole different thing to try to ignore him when you have the President of the United States standing right next to him.”

Officials said Zelensky’s surprise move to fly to Saudi Arabia and then Japan was kept secret until Friday for security reasons, but all attendees agreed in the weeks leading up to the event. He reached Japan on Saturday.

India and Brazil, two of the world’s most powerful developing countries, have not supported sanctions against Russia and maintain close political and trade ties with Moscow, which is a partner in the BRICS grouping along with South Africa and China.

Both countries have refrained from taking similar steps over China’s political support for Moscow, or South Africa’s alleged role in supplying arms to Russia.

But moves such as India’s role in processing Russian crude oil and diamonds, and Brazil’s refusal to sell ammunition to Germany on the grounds that it could help Ukraine, have angered Western partners.

New Delhi voted in a UN vote in February to demand that Russia end its invasion, and its growing thirst for Russian oil over the past year has helped push Moscow’s crude exports to higher levels since last month’s invasion. helped.

Brazil backs February’s UN resolution, but Lula has been accused of fueling Russian propaganda by claiming that both Kiev and Moscow are to blame for the conflict and that Ukraine “doesn’t want to stop” the war .

A senior G7 diplomat said the opportunity for Zelensky to speak directly with Modi, Lula and the other guests from developing countries “was the best way to explain why he was coming, because he had already met all the G7 leaders”. have met”. “It is part of our joint outreach (to developing countries) and a big step forward for Zelensky.”

The senior diplomat said, “The Japanese will not proceed without proper consultations and large-scale preparations.”

François Heisberg, an advisor at the Paris-based Fondation pour la Recherche strategic think-tank, said: “The basic justification is what investors would call a roadshow. If you look into the eyes of Lula and Modi, it’s a big bonus.

“He’s been to various (Western) capitals, and now he’s going to see people he hasn’t met before. He’s shaping the political battlefield,” Heisberg said.

Zelensky is expected to attend two separate sessions on Sunday – one solely with G7 members, and another with other guests including Modi, Lula and Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Russia, which was a member of the G8 before being expelled for annexing Crimea, was not invited to the Hiroshima summit.

For host nation Japan, the gathering is seen as a once-in-seven-year opportunity to focus the attention of its Western allies on the threats posed by China’s military and economic ambitions.

Paul Henley, a former top White House China official, said Beijing would not welcome a move by the G7 to use Zelensky’s participation to connect security issues in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

“The biggest concern (for China) would be if the G7 uses Zelensky’s presence to make a connection to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the risk of Chinese aggression on Taiwan,” said Hanley, who now runs a think-tank Carnegie is the director of China.

Zelensky’s visit risks focusing the G7’s agenda on Ukraine, but officials in Tokyo also say it will bring together Ukraine as well as key players in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. offers a rare opportunity to bring together

“Hopefully this will deepen understanding of Ukraine’s situation in the Global South,” said a Japanese government official.

Hideki Shinoda, a professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, said Zelensky’s presence at an event organized by Indo-Pacific leaders could reinforce Japanese PM Fumio Kishida’s message that security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific were “inseparable”.

Richard McGregor, an Asia expert at the Lowy Institute think-tank, said Zelensky’s presence would serve as a “symbol of unity” against Russia, but added that Modi and Lula’s presence would be “an uncomfortable reminder” that there were limits. unity on ukraine

He noted that in the past Tokyo had been reluctant to criticize Russia, and added: “The most welcome part of that limited show of unity is the fact that it is coming at the invitation of Japan.”