Following his arrival in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared on Saturday that “peace will be closer” as a result of meeting at the G7 summit.

Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted, “Japan. G7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today”, through his official Twitter handle.

Zelensky’s surprise summit attendance – he had previously been anticipated to appear via video – came after he welcomed the White House’s historic decision to allow Ukraine to acquire F-16 jets.

Until now US President Joe Biden virtually opposed the delivery of F-16s, citing extended pilot training duration and the risk of escalation in the 15-month-old conflict with Russia.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized that there had been no change in US policy but the decision was made due to the exigencies of the conflict.

He further said that we’ve reached a point where it’s time to look ahead and ask ‘What is Ukraine going to need … to deter and defend against Russian aggression?’

“F-16s, fourth-generation fighter aircraft, are part of that mix”, he continued, adding that Ukraine had committed to not use US military equipment to hit targets inside Russia.

Jake Sullivan went on to say, “We are going to do everything we can to support Ukraine in the defence of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we are also going to proceed in a way that avoids World War III”.

According to military experts, the aircraft would be a considerable upgrade over Ukraine’s aging Soviet-era fleet, providing better capability to hit targets in the air or on the ground.

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