Ukrainian government officials have confirmed that President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend the ongoing G7 Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in person, marking his first trip to Asia since Russia launched its full scale invasion in February 2022.
In a live TV address to the nation, Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, said: “Who would doubt that our President would be present there? We are confident that our President will be where he needs to be, anywhere in the world, to address the sustainability of our country.
“Very important things will be decided there, so the physical presence of our President is absolutely important in order to defend our interests, to provide clear proposals and clear arguments on the events that are taking place in our country.”
The announcement comes a day after the Japanese government said on Thursday that Zelensky will attend the three-day Summit online,reports Ukrayinska Pravda.
In his announcement, Danilov also stressed the importance of face-to-face meetings.
“Because when a person is far away, across the ocean or somewhere else, they do not always feel and understand what is happening here in our country,” he added.