G7 stiffens resolve to thwart Russia, gives Zelenskyy chance to win over fence sitters

The heads of the G7 have debated how to respond as the conflict that began in February last year

HIROSHIMA (Reuters) - The Group of Seven (G7) rich nations signalled to Russia their readiness to stand by Ukraine for the long haul while giving President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a chance to win over countries such as Brazil and India on the last day of a summit in Japan.

Distrust of China as a trading partner and determination to help Ukraine repel Russia's invasion were the key messages delivered by the world's leading democracies at the gathering in the city of Hiroshima. 

But even as the G7 leaders began wrapping up their three-day meeting on Sunday, Russia claimed to have finally captured the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, following a months-long siege that marked the bloodiest battle of the war.

The heads of the G7 - the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada - have debated how to respond as the conflict that began in February last year drags on.

Potential joint allied training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 warplanes was a message to Russia that it should not expect to succeed in its invasion by prolonging the conflict, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday.

Ukraine has not yet won commitments for delivery of the planes, but senior US officials said US President Joe Biden told G7 leaders Washington supports joint allied training programmes for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s.

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, said the summit was an opportunity to convince big emerging states such as India and Brazil to come off the fence and put their support behind Ukraine.

Macron made the comment to reporters a day after calling Zelenskyy's surprise visit at the summit a "game changer".

Shortly after Zelenskyy arrived in Japan, Russia claimed victory in Bakhmut. Hours before the claims from Moscow, Ukraine had rejected a claim by Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin that his Wagner fighters had completed the capture of the city.

NO "FROZEN CONFLICT" IN UKRAINE

During the first day of the summit on Friday, US President Joe Biden endorsed training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets for the first time as leaders announced new sanctions on Russia.

Biden is planning to roll out a US$375 million military aid package for Ukraine in Japan as well, according to a US official. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the package will include artillery, ammunition and HIMARS rocket launchers.

Zelenskyy has pushed the countries to go further on both economic and military measures.

Scholz said that while the immediate priority was supporting Ukraine's defence, security guarantees for Ukraine needed to be established once the war was over.

The German leader said it was important for Zelenskyy to meet leaders of the Global South - a term encompassing major emerging economies like Brazil, India and Indonesia - to convey the message that any proposals for peace talks could not be with the aim of creating a "frozen conflict" and should involve the withdrawal of Russian troops.

As Moscow's 15-month-old invasion has dragged on, several analysts and diplomats have floated the idea that it could become a frozen conflict like the Korean Peninsula. North and South Korea remain technically at war their 1950-53 conflict ended with a ceasefire rather than a peace treaty.

Macron struck a similar theme, saying: "Peace should not make Ukraine a frozen conflict because that would lead to a war in the future. It needs to resolve the problem."

"SHOULDN'T BE NAIVE' OVER CHINA"

Biden was set to meet with the leaders of Japan and South Korea to discuss, military interoperability and the economic coercion they face from China, a US official said.

A day earlier, the G7 leaders outlined a shared approach towards China, looking to "de-risk, not decouple" economic engagement with a country regarded as the factory of the world.

The leaders said cooperation with China was necessary given its role in the international community and heft as the world's second-biggest economy, as well as areas of common interest such as climate and conservation efforts.

But they said they would take steps to protect sensitive technology that could threaten national security, without unduly limiting trade and investment.

"We shouldn’t be naive. We know where we need to engage with China," Macron said, citing biodiversity, climate and artificial intelligence.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told broadcaster ZDF on Sunday that the United States, Germany and other rich nations would make sure their big investments into China continue, as would supply chains and exports to China, but the G7 was sending a clear sign it was looking to pare back risk.

In a statement the G7 reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, where Chinese military exercises have raised concerns over the security of Taiwan, the democratic, self-governed island that China regards as part of its territory.

China's foreign ministry issued a complaint to Japan, the G7 host, and expressed its firm opposition to the G7 joint statement, saying it disregarded China's concerns, had attacked it and interfered in its internal affairs, including Taiwan.

While in Hiroshima, Biden has had the impasse over the US government debt ceiling hanging over him.

Before leaving Japan he has ordered a call with Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, knowing failure to strike a deal would trigger a first-ever default and lead to a recession in the United States, spelling more trouble for the global economy.