The idealistic vision of a world without nuclear weapons came to the fore this weekend following the G7 summit in Hiroshima, with Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida using the forum as the backdrop to call for global peace and the end of nuclear arsenals. The last day of the talks was upstaged by the arrival of Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, determined to raise support for the Ukrainian peace plan and show recalcitrant Republicans in Congress that withholding further assistance from his country would damage US leadership. Plans for a joint communication document that would align the G7 behind the Ukrainian peace plan came to nothing, but its message was transmitted nonetheless. Kishida outlined four principles that the participants had agreed on, with the importance of the United Nations charter and the rule of law, as well as projecting solidarity with Ukraine the main areas of accord.
The outcome of the G7 summit gave a boost of diplomatic and military support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. While the commendation of the G7 for Ukraine in the communiqué was familiar, the unofficial message is more complicated: as long as it does not take too long. The best way of maintaining western support for Ukraine is to have significant wartime progress. If Kyiv cannot make progress, the country may find it difficult to receive political and financial support from its backers. Moreover, the mounting pressure on the country is related to the US election in 2024, and President Donald Trump’s emergence as the frontrunner increases fears that the next US president will significantly change policy on Ukraine. Consequently, Vladimir Putin has reason to be optimistic that the Trumpist cavalry might appear over the horizon.
An anti-Kremlin group comprising Russians fighting alongside Ukraine’s military and operating in the Belgorod region on Russia’s border with Ukraine has mounted the first attempted occupation of Russian territory. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Free Russia Legion have claimed responsibility for the attack. Videos released by the Free Russia Legion include images of a deceased Russian border guard within a government office. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has vowed to “destroy” the group which his government has described as saboteurs. The Kremlin alleges that the attack was intended to divert from the Russian “capture” of eastern Ukraine city Bakhmut.
The G7 summit held in Japan over the weekend took a unified approach on China's "economic coercion" and reaffirmed commitment to countering Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine. The G7 agreement marks a step forward in providing a coordinated framework to "de-risk" economic relations with China, rather than "decoupling", echoing the calls of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. With the G20 summit set to take place in New Delhi later this year, economic ties between developing countries and China and Russia remains a major issue.
