In the Japanese city of Hiroshima, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the G7 Summit.
In his speech at the session of the G7-Ukraine Summit, the Head of State expressed gratitude to the leaders of the G7 and all allies and partners for achieving “such a level of cooperation that ensures that democracy, international law, and freedom are respected.”
“And 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,” the President emphasized.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the leaders for providing Ukraine with reliable air defense systems that helped protect civilian and strategic infrastructure from Russian missile attacks and save lives.
“Together we’ve saved thousands and thousands of lives of Ukrainians from Russian missiles,” he said.
The Head of State also noted the decision to train Ukrainian pilots on modern fighter jets, which is an important component of the air shield.
“We are now on the path to eliminating the capability gap. When our pilots know the F16 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 Head of State emphasized.
According to him, every decision taken to protect Ukraine during the 15 months of full-scale Russian aggression guarantees the preservation of the international rules-based order. Such decisions include the formation of defense support coalitions, sanctions against the aggressor, protection of the energy and food markets, ensuring financial stability, etc.
“As a house grows from bricks, so does freedom grow from our decisions – we guarantee it. We, the democracies. And our response, in fact, is a basis for mandatory rules for preventing aggression. Ukraine emphasizes the principle of preventive security. That’s why our proposals for the package of security guarantees for Ukraine – when they become operational – will become the peacekeeping factor. And not only for us,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
He personally thanked the leaders present for their support of Ukraine: U.S. 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.
At the same time, the Head of State emphasized 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.
He also called for a detailed discussion of steps to implement the Ukrainian Peace Formula.
During a conversation with the participants of the G7 Summit Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the ceasefire proposals contained in the peace initiatives of some parties are erroneous and help Russia avoid isolation in the world, although it is still not interested in ending the war.
According to the Head of State, there can be no dialogue with Russia until it leaves the territory of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders in accordance with the UN Charter.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, any peace initiatives and negotiations should be based solely on the formula proposed by Ukraine. The details of its implementation can be discussed at the Global Peace Summit.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also joined the session of the summit “Towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous world”, which was attended by the G7 countries, Ukraine and partner countries: Australia, Brazil, Comoros (Chair of the African Union), Cook Islands (Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)), India (Chair of the G20), Indonesia (Chair of ASEAN), Republic of Korea and Vietnam.
Among the main issues discussed at the G7 summit in Hiroshima were the issue of upholding the international order based on the rule of law and firmly rejecting any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by force or the threat to use nuclear weapons, as Russia has done; continuation of sanctions pressure on Russia and support for Ukraine; strengthening the G7’s work with the countries of the Global South; ensuring energy security in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, etc.
Speaking at the working session of the summit, the President of Ukraine noted: “We all have a chance to become co-authors of peace. This peace will not be for one country alone, just as this war is causing harm not only to Ukraine.”
According to him, everyone in the world has felt the destructive consequences of Russia’s aggression against our country: some have suffered from skyrocketing food or energy prices, some will be threatened in the event of a disaster at a nuclear power plant occupied by the Russian military, and some know that if Russia successfully seizes Ukrainian territories, their aggressive neighbor will come to their land.
“Our world is vast, but we are all in it together. And this is our shared cause – peace,” the Head of State stressed.
He noted that over the past seven years, Ukraine has held more than 180 rounds of negotiations with Russia in various formats to end the aggression, but the ceasefire didn’t work.
“Thousands of people were killed over those years. Nothing has changed now, except that we, defending ourselves, have significantly weakened Russia. Now it openly wants to freeze the war – not for the sake of tranquility, but for the sake of gaining some time, gaining strength and striking again,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
Therefore, in his opinion, it is necessary to implement the Ukrainian Peace Formula, which is based on international law.
“We have developed the Peace Formula in a way that ensures each of its points is backed by UN resolutions. And in a way that everyone in the world can choose the track they can contribute to,” the President of Ukraine said.
“From Japan to the Arab countries, from Europe to Latin America, we find support for our Formula. And we continue this work,” he added.
The Head of State put forward a proposal to convene a global summit on the Peace Formula in July this year and join efforts to end the war.
“Even if we are separated by distance, we are not decoupled by common understanding: you would defend yourselves if your home was broken into if the enemy came at your gate and deports your children, – you would not surrender to the colonizers, you would unite the whole world, you would fight – as we are fighting,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.
Source – Ukrainian President