Ahead of the arrival of Zelenskyy later on Saturday, the G7 leaders cautioned China and North Korea against expanding their nuclear arsenals.
G7 leaders are tightening sanctions against Russia in an effort to deter its 15-month invasion of Ukraine and alter its course. Japan confirmed that Zelenskyy’s decision to visit Hiroshima was motivated by his “strong desire” to partake in defence-related talks.
Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, stated that President Joe Biden and Zelenskyy would engage in direct conversation at the summit. A day after Biden announced his support for training Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets. As a prelude to supplying those aircraft to Ukraine’s Air Force.
At the G7 summit in Hiroshima, world leaders confronted a high-stakes balancing act. Meanwhile, they attempted to address an array of urgent global concerns. Including climate change, artificial intelligence, poverty and economic instability, nuclear proliferation, and the war in Ukraine.
China, the second largest economy in the globe, is at the centre of many of these issues.
In Asia, there is growing concern that Beijing, which has been methodically expanding its nuclear weapons programme. Which may attempt to forcibly seize Taiwan, sparking a wider conflict. China claims ownership of the self-governing island and routinely dispatches warships and aircraft near it.
The G7 leaders issued a statement expressing concern that China is “accelerating build-up of its nuclear arsenal without transparency or meaningful dialogue threatens global and regional stability.”
“We do seek to cooperate with China on matters of mutual interest,” Sullivan said in the statement. We will work to resolve our significant concerns in a variety of areas with China.
North Korea, which has been testing missiles at a breakneck pace in an effort to perfect a nuclear programme. Aimed at the US mainland, must abandon its nuclear bomb ambitions entirely, according to the leaders’ statement. “Including any further nuclear tests or launches using ballistic missile technology. Under international nuclear treaties, North Korea cannot and will never be recognised as a nuclear weapons state.