Ukraine’s president to take part in G7 summit
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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will take part in the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Japan starting today, a Ukrainian official confirmed on Friday.
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Speaking on national television, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, said Mr Zelenskyy "will go anywhere in the world" to address the issue of Ukraine's defence capabilities.
"Very important decisions will be made there. Therefore, personal presence is needed to defend our interests, explain, and argue," he added.
Japanese officials previously said Mr Zelenskyy would join the G7 summit virtually, even while they added an extra session on Ukraine on Sunday to accommodate the Ukrainian leader’s schedule, Bloomberg reports.
While news reports previously suggested Ukraine's president will attend the G7 summit in person, the national security and defence council said in a statament that he will be present via video conference.
Separately, Mr Zelenskyy assured Ukraine respects its allies, but will decide on its own how to end the full-scale war with Russia.
"No one will decide or dictate terms instead of us, it is impossible. Any decision must be fair. We are paying a very high price for our freedom," the official stressed.
The G7 summit, to be held Friday through Sunday in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, will focus on the issues related to the international community’s response to Russia’s war against Ukraine and holding Moscow accountable.
The leaders will decide on concrete steps to increase Russia’s isolation and weaken its ability to wage war against Ukraine, White House National security council coordinator John Kirby earlier said.
11:25 CET, 19 March. The story has been updated with a comment from Ukraine's national security and defence council.
