2023-05-21 06:34:21
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went to Hiroshima, Japan, to participate in the summit of the leaders of the G7 on Saturday afternoon.
“Japan. The Big Seven. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will come closer today,” he wrote on Twitter.
Zelenskiy is scheduled to meet with world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, who hosted the summit, and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi within the framework of the G7 summit. Modi will host the G20 group of the world’s largest economies in New Delhi later this year.
Before Zelensky’s participation in the G7, the group announced that it would supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and train Ukrainian pilots to fly them. This comes after Biden denied Zelensky’s plane request for months.
A senior administration official told VOA on Friday that Biden told G7 leaders that the United States would work with allies and supporters to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter jets, including F-16s, and to strengthen and upgrade the capabilities of Ukraine’s air force. will support the related joint effort.
The training, which is expected to start in the coming weeks, will take place in Europe and will continue for months, the official said.
“If the exercises continue, we will work with our allies in the coming months to determine when, by whom and how many planes will be delivered,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a press briefing in Hiroshima on Saturday.
Sullivan said the warplanes would not be used in a planned counterattack against Russia.
Zelensky welcomed Biden’s decision, saying on Twitter that it would “greatly strengthen our military in the sky.”
Calling plans to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s a “historic decision,” Zelensky said he would discuss the details with Biden on Sunday.
Voice of America
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