In Hiroshima, a city whose inhabitants have experienced the horrors of war like few others, the leaders of the world’s major economies (with the exception of China) and other guests will debate from today on support for a country under attack and with a nuclear threat to hang. On the eve, Japan’s Prime Minister and US President set the tone, while Fumio Kishida listened to Joe Biden defend “common values, including support for the Ukrainian people in defending their sovereign territory and holding Russia accountable for its brutal aggression”. Aggression that continued through a rocket attack on Kiev for the second consecutive night.
In 1945, the city of the current Japanese prime minister’s family was destroyed by the first of two atomic bombs used by the United States, killing 140,000. Meanwhile, the two countries forged an alliance that Washington and Tokyo never tire of praising. During the meeting between the host and the American, Kishida noted that global tensions have brought the US and Japan closer together and that “cooperation has progressed in leaps and bounds”.
Biden recalled that during a visit to Washington in January, Japan’s chief executive said the world was facing one of the “most complex” security environments in recent history. “I totally agree with you,” the North American continued, later praising bilateral relations. “When our countries are together we are stronger and I believe the whole world is safer when we do that.”
The issue of supplying Kiev with the latest aircraft is likely to be addressed after Sunak announced an international coalition.
Hosted by Australia, Brazil, Comoros, South Korea, Cook Islands, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, the G7 summit has put the war in Ukraine at the top of its agenda in a city that has become a symbol of pacifism and nuclear non-proliferation. Heads of State and Government will be welcomed to Parque da Paz before visiting the Atomic Bomb Museum, which may host a meeting with survivors of the attack.
“I believe the first step in any attempt at nuclear disarmament is to experience firsthand the effects of atomic bombings and firmly convey the reality,” Kishida said days earlier.
Russia’s withdrawal or suspension of arms control treaties and repeated threats from former President Dmitry Medvedev, coupled with the development of ballistic missiles in North Korea’s nuclear program, are of concern. During the trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit between Kishida, Biden and South Korean Yoon Suk Yeol, strengthening nuclear deterrence will be one of the topics discussed.
On Ukraine, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the state of play on the battlefield and closing loopholes in sanctions against Moscow are on the agenda. More or less discreetly, the issue of supplying Kiev with the latest aircraft will have to be addressed.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent tour – who is expected to address leaders via video conference, though the possibility of the Ukrainian president traveling to Japan was left up in the air – to European capitals added renewed demonstrations of solidarity, translated into more military support, but from the list combat aircraft and North American long-range ATACMS missiles are still not included. If the latter somehow remain in the background, as the Ukrainians now have British Storm Shadow missiles, long-range aircraft are also the subject of the moment.
On Tuesday, during the Council of Europe summit in Iceland, Britain’s Rishi Sunak announced the formation of an international alliance, with Dutchman Mark Rutte, to assemble F-16s for Ukraine. The US, manufacturers of that model, have so far rejected such a scenario, hinting that they would not be available until after the war. As for the possibility of third countries transferring aircraft, so far there is no knowledge of any official request, but the Pentagon has not rejected or approved the idea.
On Wednesday, a group of 13 Republican and Democratic congressmen urged Biden to send F-16s. Countries that will soon replace this model with a more advanced model, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway, can supply dozens of aircraft. The subject will continue to be the subject of much discussion, including from the technical side.
Several experts point to the Swedish Grippen fighter with the most suitable characteristics for the war scenario.
For the ninth time this month, and for the second consecutive night, Russia has attacked Kiev. This time, according to Ukrainian forces, a total of 30 rockets were fired at the capital and other regions, 29 of which were stopped by anti-aircraft defenses. The missile that passed the defenses landed in an industrial area of Odessa, killing one person and injuring three others.
Source: DN
