2023-05-20 06:26:14
Their presence prompted Volodymyr Zelensky to participate in the G7 summit in Hiroshima: the Ukrainian head of state was due to meet on Sunday May 21, in addition to his main Western allies, several personalities at the head of major emerging countries who refuse to support his country since the invasion of Russia. Among them, three major figures of the Global South, i.e. developing countries : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indonesian Presidents Joko Widodo and Brazilian Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were invited to the meeting of the seven main economies of the planet, themselves increasingly concerned about the gap between “the West and the rest” of the world that the return of the war in Europe revealed, then deepened.
Anxious to expand his contacts beyond his Western allies, the Ukrainian leader was to arrive Saturday afternoon in Japan, on board an official French plane. The aircraft picked up Mr. Zelensky in Poland, taking him first to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for the Arab League summit on Friday. This long trip was partly prepared during his recent tete-a-tete at the Elysee Palace with Emmanuel Macron, Sunday May 14, the French head of state being one of the Western leaders who insistently repeats his intention to to build bridges between the North and the South in order to avoid the « fragmentation » of the world order – and to prepare a possible “summit for peace”. Discreet at first, appearing almost indifferent to the conflict in the first months of the war, the emerging countries are now multiplying initiatives on their side, as if to try to intervene between Moscow, Kiev and its Western allies.
A surprise guest, Mr. Zelensky was to participate in a joint meeting in Hiroshima on Sunday between the members of the G7 and the invited third countries. The session, dubbed “peace and stability”, is expected to revolve largely around the fate of Ukraine, nearly fifteen months after the start of the Russian invasion. “The important thing is to establish contact, to tie these countries to positions that are less unfavorable to Ukraine, said a source familiar with the matter. Everyone understands the logic of these efforts. It is also a question of preventing these States from tipping over to Russia’s side, by delivering arms to it; this work must bear fruit mirroring the military calendar. »
Weariness of the countries of the South vis-à-vis the war
Despite the stalemate in the conflict, the major emerging countries often refuse to choose sides, like the many leaders of the Arab League. They have all maintained contact with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which they do not sanction, and very often have not condemned it in UN forums. Mr. Zelensky’s visit to the G7 also comes at a time when the countries of the South are not hiding their weariness with regard to the war, and are calling for a cessation of hostilities. “We have to talk about peace, which means being ready to make compromises”, said a Brazilian official. who defends the “neutrality” of his country, able to talk to both Ukrainians and Russians.
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