G7 Summit updates: Lavrov says summit aims to ‘contain’ Russia
All the updates from May 20 as they happened.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the G7 Summit on Saturday, May 21.
This blog is now closed, thanks for joining us. These were the updates on the G7 Summit on Saturday, May 21.
- Japan is hosting the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Hiroshima from May 19-21 and welcoming leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European Union is a “non-enumerated member” of the group.
- Russia’s top diplomat has said G7 leaders showed a determination to “contain” both Russia and China.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has arrived at the summit and held private meetings with a number of leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Oxfam has released a statement accusing the G7 leaders of failing the developing world by not taking action to address debt cancellation or global hunger.
- The G7 has pressed China to pressure its strategic partner Russia to end its war on Ukraine.
- US President Joe Biden informed G7 leaders that Washington will support a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
- China’s embassy in Japan says it is gravely concerned about recent signs of “negative” China-related moves at the G7 summit.
India’s fuel purchases from Russia not discussed at G7
India’s fuel purchases from Russia were not discussed on Saturday, India’s foreign secretary, Vinay Kwatra, told reporters after the meeting between the two leaders.
New Delhi says it is defending its own interests in buying Russian oil. It has also expressed frustration at what it says is the world’s preoccupation with the war in Ukraine when urgent action is needed to address global debt and poverty.
Zelenskyy invited Modi to visit Ukraine during the meeting, Kwatra said.
Macron, Meloni meet to bury hatchet after migration spat
French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have held a 45-minute meeting at the G7 to turn the page after a French minister accused Rome of mishandling the influx of migrants.
Briefing reporters, a French presidential official said the two leaders had spoken about Ukraine, but also migration and Tunisia. “There was a widespread discussion that showed our convergence of views on important questions, notably Ukraine, but also Tunisia,” the official said.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in early May that Meloni’s right-wing government had been unable to solve the migration problems on which she was elected and that she had lied to voters that she could end the migrant crisis.
That prompted demands by Rome for an apology.
EU president promises further support for Ukraine
European Council President Charles Michel has promised Zelenskyy further EU support in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion.
Michel spoke with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Japan.
“The EU will work with G7 partners to target every pillar of the Russian economy to ensure Putin’s war machine fails,” said Michel’s spokesman, Barend Leyts.
Biden says Indo-Pacific key for world’s future
US President Joe Biden has said on that “a great deal of the future of our world is going to be written in the Indo-Pacific” as he met with the leaders of India, Australia and Japan.
Together with the United States, these states form the Quad Alliance, which aims to push back China’s influence in the region.
“Our mission remains the same. And that is to advance our vision of a free, open, secure, prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Biden said.
Biden has put a special focus on the Indo-Pacific in his administration’s foreign policy since taking office.
Zelenskyy thanks UK’s Sunak for leadership in fighter jet coalition
Zelenskyy has thanked British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the G7 summit for his support in forming a coalition to deliver Western fighter jets.
Zelenskyy met Sunak on the sidelines of the top-level meeting in Hiroshima. “I thanked him for the leadership of the United Kingdom in the international fighter jet coalition,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram account.
On Tuesday, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands declared their intention to build an international fighter jet coalition for Kyiv.
Situation in Bakhmut ‘critical’: Ukraine
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar says the situation is critical in the eastern town of Bakhmut, which Russia’s Wagner group claims to have captured.
“Heavy fighting in Bakhmut. The situation is critical,” she said on the Telegram messaging app. “As of now, our defenders control some industrial and infrastructure facilities in the area and the private sector.”
The head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, earlier claimed the complete capture the town, scene of the longest and bloodiest battle in Moscow’s offensive.
The announcement came amid Zelenskyy’s in-person visit to the G7 summit and hours after the United States agreed to allow training on potent American-made fighter jets, laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine.
G7 brings gas investments back in ‘temporary’ solution
The Group of Seven rich nations has put support for gas investments back into their communique, calling it a “temporary” step as they try to move away from Russian energy.
According to the final statement, G7 leaders “stress the important role that increased deliveries of LNG [liquefied natural gas] can play, and acknowledge that investment in the sector can be appropriate in response to the current crisis.”
Climate activists say the move will hurt climate goals. “What leaders have brought to the table represents an endorsement of new fossil gas,” Tracy Carty, Global Climate Politics Expert at Greenpeace International, said in response.
Macron: ‘We will be here to the very end’
French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to support Ukraine to “the very end” in a meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
“France has been from the very beginning shoulder to shoulder with you. We will be here to the very end,” Macron told Zelenskyy.
China complains to G7 host Japan over joint statement
China firmly opposes the G7 joint statement out of Hiroshima and has complained to summit organiser Japan, the Chinese foreign ministry had said.
The ministry said that the G7, disregarding China’s concerns, had attacked it and interfered in its internal affairs, including Taiwan, the ministry said in a statement.
China has expressed its strong dissatisfaction and has lodged stern representations with summit host Japan, the statement added.
Meloni to cut short G7 trip over Italy floods
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will leave the G7 summit in Hiroshima early and return home to deal with devastating floods that have killed 14 people, a diplomatic source told AFP.
The source said Meloni would leave the summit on Saturday evening, returning home a day before talks close on Sunday.
A final communique has already been issued, and Meloni has also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Lavrov: G7 decisions aimed at ‘double containment’ of Russia and China
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday that decisions taken by the G7 countries at their summit in Japan were aimed at the “double containment” of Russia and China, Reuters has reported.
“The task was set loudly and openly – to defeat Russia on the battlefield, but not to stop there, but to eliminate it as a geopolitical competitor,” Lavrov said.
“Look at the decisions that are being discussed and adopted today in Hiroshima at G7 summit of the Seven, and which are aimed at the double containment of Russia and China.”
Modi: India will do ‘whatever we can’ to resolve the Ukraine crisis
India will do “whatever we can” to resolve the Ukraine crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the G7 summit.
“I understand your pain and the pain of Ukrainian citizens very well,” Modi said, as the pair met on the sidelines of the summit in Japan.
“I can assure you that to resolve this, India, and me personally, will do whatever we can do,” Modi said.
Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram account that he “thanked India for supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country, in particular at the sites of international organisations”.
Zelenskyy also thanked Modi for providing humanitarian aid to the war-torn country and invited India to join Ukraine’s peace plan.
G7 summit: Here are some photos from today’s meetings
Zelenskyy invites Modi to join Ukrainian peace formula
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he invited India to join Ukraine’s peace formula during his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit on Saturday in Japan.
Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app that they also discussed Ukraine’s needs in de-mining and mobile hospitals during their first face-to-face meeting since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
G7 members express continued support for Ukraine
Plenty of photos and statements have been appearing on the social media accounts of the G7 and EU leaders conveying their continued support for Ukraine.
In the G7’s final communique, it stated “We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes to bring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace.”
Ukraine, we stand united.
🇬🇧🇺🇸🇫🇷🇯🇵🇺🇦🇨🇦🇩🇪🇮🇹🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/6cmGF6b3BH— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) May 20, 2023
Ukraine is unbreakable.
So is our support and friendship.
Slava Ukraini. @ZelenskyyUa pic.twitter.com/nNnEeZFY7J
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) May 20, 2023
Survivors of the 1945 atomic bomb warn leaders of the human cost of nuclear weapons
Nuclear disarmament has been on the agenda at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, a city destroyed by US nuclear bombings 78 years ago that ended World War II.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in Japan’s lower house of parliament, said he chose it for the global gathering to focus attention on arms control.
Yesterday leaders laid wreaths and visited the museum commemorating the 1945 attack.
Survivors of the atomic bomb spoke to Al Jazeera and cautioned leaders about the human cost of nuclear weapons.
Modi meets with Zelenskyy at summit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the summit.
Modi’s official Twitter account on Saturday evening posted a picture of the two leaders shaking hands.
Unlike other leaders at the summit, Modi has refrained from condemning Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. India has close economic ties with Russia and has ramped up imports of Russian energy since the war began.
While India is not a member of the G7, Modi is among a number of leaders from non-G7 countries who have been invited to the summit as part of a bid by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to boost ties with the Global South.
Zelenskyy, earlier on Saturday, met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
PM @narendramodi held talks with President @ZelenskyyUa during the G-7 Summit in Hiroshima. pic.twitter.com/tEk3hWku7a
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) May 20, 2023
Moscow says Western countries face ‘colossal risks’ if they supply F-16s to Ukraine
Russian media reported that Moscow is warning Western countries they are facing “colossal risks” if they supply Ukrainian forces with F-16 fighter jets.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko was quoted as saying, “We see that Western countries are still adhering to the escalation scenario. It involves colossal risks for themselves.”
US President Joe Biden told G7 leaders on Friday that Washington supports joint allied training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s
Oxfam accuses the G7 leaders of failing the developing world
While this year’s G7 summit has sought to bolster ties with the Global South, inviting eight non-members, including India and Indonesia, not everyone is convinced by the outreach.
Oxfam has released a statement accusing the G7 leaders of failing the developing world by not taking action to address debt cancellation or global hunger.
“They can find untold billions to fight the war but can’t even provide half of what is needed by the UN for the most critical humanitarian cries,” said Max Lawson, head of the inequality policy at Oxfam.
“If the G7 really want closer ties to the developing countries and greater backing from [them] for the war in Ukraine, then asking Global South leaders to fly across the world for a couple of hours is not going to cut it. They need to cancel debts and do what it takes to end hunger.”
Zelenskyy and Sunak speak in private
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the summit.
The two leaders embraced before journalists were ushered out, the Reuters news agency reported.
Sunak on Friday announced a ban on imports of Russian diamonds, copper, aluminium and nickel in the latest sanctions intended to punish Moscow over its war in Ukraine.
Some pictures from today’s G7 leaders’ summit
G7 calls for international technical standards for AI
The G7 nations have called for the development and adoption of international technical standards for trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) as politicians of the rich countries focus on the new technology.
While the G7 leaders, meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, recognised that the approaches to achieving “the common vision and goal of trustworthy AI may vary”, they said in a statement that “the governance of the digital economy should continue to be updated in line with our shared democratic values”.
G7 urges China to press Russia to end war in Ukraine, respect Taiwan
The G7 has pressed China to pressure its strategic partner Russia to end its war on Ukraine.
“We call on China to press Russia to stop its military aggression, and immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its troops from Ukraine,” a statement said.
“We encourage China to support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on territorial integrity and the principles and purposes of the UN Charter,” including in direct talks with Ukraine.
G7 leaders expressed “serious concern” about the situation in the East and South China seas, where Beijing has been expanding its military presence and threatening to use force to exert its control over self-governed Taiwan. They called for a “peaceful resolution” of China’s claim to Taiwan, which has remained unresolved since the communists gained power on the Chinese mainland in 1949.
G7 leaders hope to ‘build constructive and stable relations’ with China
The G7 leaders have said they hope to “build constructive and stable relations” with China while continuing to raise concerns about the country’s human rights record and “militarisation” in the South China Sea.
In their communique released on Saturday, they said it was necessary to cooperate with China “given its role in the international community and the size of its economy, on global challenges as well as areas of common interest”.
But they added that economic resilience “requires de-risking and diversifying.”
The statement also calls for a peaceful resolution to tensions over Taiwan and calls on China to press Russia to end its war in Ukraine.
Along with Russia, China has loomed over the summit amid concerns about its growing power and influence.
‘Very symbolic’ photo with Zelenskyy and G7 leaders expected soon
James Bays, reporting for Al Jazeera in Japan, says that there may be a “very symbolic” photo with the Ukrainian president and the G7 leaders, who are currently in transit from the airport.
A group photo with all the world leaders in attendance, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has already taken place.
Bays says we can expect a separate photo with the G7 leaders and Zelenskyy when he arrives. He said it’s going “to be a very important image. One of the reasons why is because, remember, in 2014, Russia was kicked out of what was then the G8. So in some ways, President Zelenskyy, and we’ll see how they view this in Moscow, is going to be standing in the place where President Putin used to stand.”