Leaders of the world’s richest democracies, members of the G7, said on Sunday they would not abandon their support for Ukraine, warning Russian President Vladimir Putin, who claimed the town of Bakhmut was captured by Russian forces at the time. Kyiv rejected it, reports News.ro with reference to Reuters.

The G7 (G7) summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima took a dramatic turn this weekend with the arrival of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, who flew in on a French government plane to call for more support against the Russian invasion.

Zelensky, who laid flowers at the memorial to the victims of the world’s first atomic bombing of the city, noted that photos of the destruction of Hiroshima during World War II reminded him of Bakhmut and other destroyed Ukrainian cities.

He also said at the press conference that there are still soldiers in Bakhmut and that the city has not been captured by Russia.

Earlier, he told reporters on the sidelines of the summit that the city, which was at the center of hostilities in recent months, had been destroyed.

“This is a tragedy. There is nothing in this place,” Zelenskyi said. “Many dead Russians” remained, he added.

On the final day of the three-day G7 summit, US President Joe Biden announced the provision of a $375 million military aid package to Ukraine, including artillery and armored vehicles.

He told Zelensky that the US is doing everything possible to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities against Russia.

“Together with the entire G7, we stand for Ukraine and I promise that we will not go anywhere,” said Biden.

Instead, in a statement on the Kremlin’s website, Putin hailed what he said was a victory for his forces, calling it the “liberation” of Bakhmut.

The assault on the largely destroyed city was led by troops from Wagner’s mercenary group, whose leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his troops eventually pushed the Ukrainians out of the last settlement inside the city.

No “frozen conflict”

Other leaders of the G7, which includes the United States, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Canada, supported Biden’s statements.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that his country will support Ukraine as long as it is needed.

Biden told G7 leaders that Washington supports joint allied training programs for Ukrainian F-16 pilots, although Kyiv has not received a commitment to deliver the fighters.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the possibility of conducting such exercises with American F-16 fighter jets is a signal to Russia that it should not hope for success in its invasion due to the continuation of the conflict.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the training will begin this summer, and Ukraine will receive the air force it will need for the future.

“It is important” that the G7 countries showed solidarity in their intention to respect international law and order during the summit, which Zelensky attended as a guest, said Prime Minister of the host country Japan, Fumio Kishida.

Scholz noted that although the immediate priority is to support the defense of Ukraine, security guarantees must be established for Ukraine after the end of the war.

Both Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have expressed support for Ukraine, opposing any idea that the war could become a “frozen conflict” or any proposals for peace talks without the withdrawal of Russian troops.

As Moscow’s 15-month-old invasion has dragged on, several analysts and diplomats have argued that it could become as frozen as the conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

North and South Korea technically remain at war as their 1950-1953 conflict ended in a ceasefire.

“Peace should not make Ukraine a frozen conflict, because that will lead to war in the future. It should solve the problem,” Macron said.

The Hiroshima summit also gave Zelensky a chance to enlist the support of other participants, such as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who remained non-committal.

“De-risking” China

While the determination to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion was a key message from the G7 summit, another was mistrust of China as a trading partner.

Biden met with the leaders of Japan and South Korea on Sunday to discuss military interoperability and the economic pressure they face from China, a US official said.

A day earlier, the G7 leaders emphasized a joint approach to China, aimed at “eliminating risk, not disconnecting” economic interaction with the country, which is considered the world’s factory.

The G7 statement also reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, where Chinese military exercises have raised concerns about the security of Taiwan, a democratic and self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory.

China’s Foreign Ministry filed a complaint with Japan, expressing strong opposition to the G7 statement, saying it ignored China’s concerns, attacked it and interfered in the country’s internal affairs, including Taiwan.

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