In Hiroshima the G7 is about to begin when news begins to bounce in the press room, relaunched by the international and then Japanese media: the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will participate in the summit in person. Yesterday the hypothesis was aired and then officially denied by the Japanese Presidency: Zelensky was supposed to connect by videoconference on Sunday. The Ukrainian president could thus also meet the leaders of India and Brazil, Narendra Modi and Inacio Lula da Silva, so far not explicitly hostile towards Russia. Japanese government sources, very cautious at first, finally confirmed Zelensky’s presence for Sunday.
The inaugural ceremony
This morning the leaders met for a welcoming ceremony in Memorial Park before the official start of work, greeted by the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida. “Gathering the Big 7 at the site of the explosion of the first nuclear device in a conflict – diplomatic sources explain – is an event of great symbolic value, especially in light of the threats of the use of atomic weapons repeatedly expressed by Russia in recent months” . The seven leaders visited the Peace Museum, followed by the joint signing of the Museum’s Book of Honor with a message from each leader which will then be carved on a stone stele placed near the memorial. A laurel wreath was later placed at the Cenotaph of Atomic Bomb Victims. At the end there was a tree planting ceremony.
Coordination of European leaders
A European coordination meeting was then held on the sidelines of the work of the G7. The President of the Council, Giorgia Meloni, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen took part. European coordination on Ukraine, industrial issues, defense of the EU’s common interests and energy transition: these were the topics at the center of the meeting. Shortly after 1.30 pm (6.30 am in Italy) the work of the G7 began with the working lunch of the Heads of State and Government. The focus is on cooperation and the global economy
