Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Hiroshima on Saturday afternoon for the Group of Seven leaders summit — his first trip to Asia since Russia’s invasion began in February last year — where he will hold bilateral talks the following day with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the sidelines of the meeting.
A French plane carrying the Ukrainian leader arrived at Hiroshima Airport at around 3:30 p.m., with a live broadcast by NHK showing a large security presence as Zelenskyy exited the aircraft to a red carpet, where he was greeted by a retinue of officials.
The previously unannounced trip to the atomic-bombed city will be highly symbolic amid Russia’s nuclear saber-rattling and threats to use the weapons in the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy was previously expected to participate in the summit via videoconference.
