Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit Japan for G7 summit

In a sudden announcement, it was revealed Friday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in Group 7 (G-7) meeting in person as the bloc of industrialised countries further hit Russia with sanctions, forcing it to slow down efforts in the war against Kiyv.

It will be the first trip to Asia since Russia launched its special military operation in February 2022, to meet with the leaders of the G-7 countries in a huddle taking place at Hiroshima.

It is a rare visit by the war-time president to meet with the leaders of the world's wealthy democracies who financially support Ukrainian defence against Russia.

The visit is taking place after the Ukrainian forces pushed back Russian troops from their signs at Bekhmut, preparing for a much-awaited spring offensive.

"Ukrainian leader would go wherever the country needs him, in any part of the world", including Hiroshima, a city synonymous with the horrors of war," said security aide of Zelensky Oleksii Danilov.

"Very important things will be decided there, and therefore the presence, the physical presence of our president is absolutely essential to defend our interests," he said.

According to an AFP report, Zelensky was expected to appear in person, though the timing of his arrival was not immediately known.

Sanctions on Russia

The visit will also bear fruit from Ukraine as the president will seek the support of the powerful non-aligned nation including India and Brazil whose heads are also set to participate in the summit.

The president made his recent trip to Europe where he pleaded for military support such as modern US-fighter aircraft and harsh sanctions on Moscow.

On the eve of his visit, G7 nations agreed on new sanctions that would "starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment and services that support its war machine".

The statement from G7 also pledged to "restrict trade in and use of diamonds mined, processed or produced in Russia", including with the use of tracing technologies.

The trade is estimated to be worth about $4-5 billion a year for Russia.

EU Council President Charles Michel said: "Russian diamonds are not forever. We will restrict trade."

Belgium — which is an EU member state — is among the largest buyers of Russian diamonds followed by India and UAE.

The major market for the Russian diamond’s finished product is the US.

G7 also said they would step up efforts to circumvent their existing sanctions regime, "including targeting entities transporting material to the front."

Earlier Friday, the United States and other members announced their own new measures.

A senior US administration official said another 70 entities from Russia and "other countries" would be placed on a US blacklist.

"And there will be upwards of 300 new sanctions against individuals, entities, vessels and aircraft," the official said.

The UK also imposed sanctions on Russian copper, aluminium and nickel alongside diamonds.

The special operation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sparked a series of sanctions aimed to drain the money reached to the war industry.

The Russian economy contracted 2.1% in 2022, a trend that continued early this year.

However, in response, Russia adopted strict capital controls shifting its commerce to allies like China, and reportedly borrowing evasion techniques from much-sanctioned countries like Cuba, Iran and North Korea.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected a modest 0.7% economic rebound in 2023.

Earlier Friday, G7 leaders visited Hiroshima’s peace park memorials and museum, where they saw evidence of the suffering and devastation caused by the atomic bomb dropped by the US in 1945.

In a moment heavy with symbolism, they laid wreaths at the Hiroshima cenotaph, which commemorates the estimated 140,000 people killed in the attack and its aftermath.