Zelenski in the spotlight at the G7 summit in Hiroshima

Precisely the right city at the right time. The symbolism surrounding the G7 summit focuses on the need for the seven richest democracies on the planet not to relive the mistakes of the past. From that 6 August 1945, the day Hiroshima witnessed the first nuclear bombing in history, to the commemorations already made by world leaders, there remains the fear of the scale of the current tension in the nuclear threat, this time in Ukraine.   

North Korea, China and Iran have nuclear programmes, but Russia's is the most latent. The Kremlin announced in March that it would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, days after it suspended its participation in the New Start treaty, the latest agreement signed with the United States to control nuclear weapons.   

From the Japanese city, the G7 leaders made a plea for nuclear disarmament, dismissing as "unacceptable" the threats made by Russia about the possible use of this weaponry in the context of its invasion of Ukraine.   

It is Zelensky, the protagonist of the most important summit for the interests of the invaded country, who is now contemplating the memories of the devastation of the Japanese city. After visiting Saudi Arabia for the Arab League summit, the Ukrainian leader has been in Hiroshima with arduous diplomatic tasks. "Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and increased cooperation for our history. Today, peace will be closer," was the message of the Ukrainian president as soon as he landed at the summit.  

Zelenski has so far met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, his British counterpart Rishi Sunak and Indian Prime Minister Nerandra Modi, the most complicated meeting. New Delhi has been hesitantly balanced on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While he has reproached Putin that 'this is not the era of war', he did not condemn the invasion as a member of the UN Security Council. Nor has it joined in any sanctions against Moscow during the 15-month-long 'special military operation'. On the contrary, it has earned revenue by reselling the boycotted gas to European countries.  

Zelenski has come to influence Modi's position. "I informed the interlocutor in detail about the Peace Formula initiative in Ukraine and invited India to join its implementation," the Ukrainian leader said on his Twitter account. A similar task will be the meeting with another so far neutral G7 leader: Brazilian President Lula da Silva.

So far G7 leaders have already announced new sanctions to make Russia pay for its invasion and reaffirmed their commitment to help Kiev "for as long as it takes". 

At the same time, the echo of the summit in Japan grows louder. During the summit, Moscow attacked Kiev with new waves of Iranian drones, warned of the "colossal risks" of Ukraine's use of F-16 fighter jets following Washington's green light, and redefined the goals of the G7 summit.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the bloc's decisions have the "dual aim of containing Russia and China. "The goal is to defeat Russia on the battlefield, but not only that, but also to eliminate it as a geopolitical competitor. Any country that tries to seek an independent role in the world becomes a competitor to be suppressed," reproached the head of Russian diplomacy.