Volodymyr Zelensky made a speech to the G7 summit of world leaders on Sunday, his office said.
Zelensky thanks G7 leaders for support to Ukraine
Ukraine’s president thanked western leaders for achieving “a level of cooperation which ensures that democracy, international law, and freedom are respected.”
He stated: “The more we all work together, the less likely anyone else in the world will follow Russia’s insane path. But is this enough? Democracy needs more. I think we need the clear global leadership of democracy. This is the main thing that we provide with our cooperation.”
Zelensky thanked the G7 leaders for “providing Ukraine with reliable air defence systems that helped protect civilian and strategic infrastructure from Russian missile attacks and save lives,” according to his office.
“Together we’ve saved thousands and thousands of lives of Ukrainians from Russian missiles,” he said.
Ukraine’s president hailed the decision by Western allies “to train Ukrainian pilots on modern fighter jets, which is an important component of the air shield.”
During the Hiroshima summit, US President Joe Biden also announced a new USD 375 million package of American military assistance to help Ukraine fight Russia’s invasion.
Security guarantees for Ukraine
At the same time, Zelensky emphasised that “Ukraine expects clear signals on the issue of Euro-Atlantic integration and provision of security guarantees prior to NATO membership at the Summit in Vilnius” in July.
Zelensky also stressed that “any peace initiatives and negotiations” to end the war “should be based solely on the formula proposed by Ukraine.”
Global summit on Ukrainian Peace Formula in July?
Ukraine’s president said, as quoted by Britain’s The Guardian newspaper: “We’re united by one more principle - rationality. We always act practically, protecting our values. And the Ukrainian Peace Formula is an obvious expression of rationality. I thank you for supporting our Formula.”
Zelensky added: “We have developed the Peace Formula in a way that ensures each of its points is backed by United Nations resolutions. And in a way that everyone in the world can choose the track they can contribute to.”
“From Japan to the Arab countries, from Europe to Latin America, we find support for our Formula. And we continue this work,” he added.
Zelensky put forward a proposal to convene a global summit on the Ukrainian Peace Formula in July this year and “join efforts to end the war,” according to his office.
Transfer of F-16s to Ukraine will be a ‘historic moment’ for global security: Zelensky
Ukraine’s president has pressed Western allies and other countries to go further on both economic and military measures to support his country against the Russian invasion, The Guardian reported.
With regard to the West’s decision to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 warplanes, Zelensky said on Sunday: “We are now on the path to eliminating the capability gap. When our pilots know the F-16 and when these aircraft appear in our skies, it will matter not only for Ukraine. This will be a historic moment for the entire security architecture in Europe and the world.”
The G7 brings together the world’s biggest advanced economies and liberal democracies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States, as well as the European Union as a "non-enumerated member."
The three-day summit in Hiroshima, which ended on Sunday, was attended by US President Joseph Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President of the European Council Charles Michel, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Sunday is day 452 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: PAP, president.gov.ua, Reuters, The Guardian