Ukrainian President Zelenskyy arrives in Japan for 2023 G-7 Summit: ‘Peace will become closer today’

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived Saturday in Japan for diplomatic talks with leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies participating in the Group of Seven (G7) after the U.S. pledged to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 jet fighters.

“Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Twitter post upon his arrival in Japan. “Peace will become closer today.”

“Peace will become closer today.”

— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives at Hiroshima Airport to attend the Group of Seven (G7) nations meetings in Hiroshima, western Japan Saturday, May 20, 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)

Confirmation of Zelenskyy’s in-person attendance came as G-7 leaders from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan and the European Union, reaffirmed their “commitment to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.”

“Our support for Ukraine will not waver,” the G-7 leaders said in a statement on Friday, vowing “to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable, and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.”

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“Russia started this war and can end this war,” they said

The Ukrainian president was originally scheduled to join an online session on Friday, but plans changed after he expressed a “strong wish” to participate in person, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, center, walks to a car upon his arrival at Hiroshima Airport to attend the Group of Seven (G7) nations’ meetings in Hiroshima, western Japan Saturday, May 20, 2023. (Kyodo News via AP)

An EU official told the Associated Press that Zelenskyy will take part in two separate sessions Sunday. 

The first session will be with G-7 members only and will focus on the war in Ukraine. The second session will include the G-7 as well as the other nations invited to take part in the summit, and will focus on “peace and stability.”

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Ahead of Zelenskyy’s participation at the G-7, the group announced it will provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and train Ukrainian pilots to fly them.

Zelenskyy welcomed Biden’s decision, saying in a tweet it would “greatly enhance our army in the sky.”

A senior administration official told reporters as “the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide and who will provide them.” The program will include training on F-16s among other fighter planes, with the program set to take place over the coming months at sites in Europe. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy walks to a car upon his arrival at Hiroshima Airport to attend the Group of Seven (G-7) nations’ meetings Saturday, May 20, 2023, in Hiroshima, western Japan. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Zelenskyy’s arrival in Japan marks the longest trip since Russia’s invasion in Ukraine in February 2022. 

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A chartered French government plane brought President Zelenskyy to the Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia before flying to Hiroshima, Japan for the G-7.

Fox News Digitals’ Peter Aitken contributed to this report.

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a writer on the breaking news team for Fox News Digital. You can reach her on Twitter at @s_rumpfwhitten.