G7 summit: Zelensky accuses some Arab leaders of 'blind eye' to war ahead of Japan trip
The Ukrainian leader was in Saudi Arabia ahead of an expected trip to the G7 in Japan
By Tessa Wong in Hiroshima & James Gregory in London
BBC News
Volodymyr Zelensky has accused some Arab leaders of "turning a blind eye" to Russia's invasion ahead of his expected appearance at the G7 summit in Japan.
It is thought the Ukrainian president will arrive in Hiroshima on Sunday in a bid to secure further military support for a planned counter-offensive.
On Friday, Mr Zelensky was in Saudi Arabia for an Arab League summit.
Of the Arab League nations, only Syria has openly supported Russia's invasion.
Other member nations have sought to maintain good relations with Moscow.
"Unfortunately, there are some in the world and here among you who turn a blind eye to those [prisoner of war] cages and illegal annexations," said Mr Zelensky.
"I'm here so that everyone can take an honest look, no matter how hard the Russians try to influence, there must still be independence."
Mr Zelensky also told the assembled leaders in Jeddah that his country was defending itself from colonisers and imperialists, appearing to invoke the Arab world's own history of invasion and occupation.
Host nation Saudi Arabia has walked a delicate line on the conflict - on the one hand supporting a UN resolution calling for Russia to withdraw its troops and pledging $400m in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, while on the other hand resisting imposing sanctions on Russia, preferring to see itself as neutral on the conflict.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman renewed his offer for Saudi Arabia to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv to end the fighting at the summit.
Syria meanwhile has only just been readmitted to the Arab League - its leader Bashar al-Assad told the summit there was an historic opportunity for the region to reshape itself without foreign interference.
Mr Zelensky also took aim at Iran, which is not a member of the Arab League, for supplying Shahed drones to Russia. Iran denies supplying drones for the conflict.
The Ukrainian leader is expected to travel from Saudi Arabia to the G7 summit, where he will speak to US President Joe Biden.
Mr Zelensky's office told Ukrainian media the two men would meet "in the next few days" in Japan.
The summit kicked off on Friday with a renewed condemnation of Russia and an announcement of further sanctions.
The group of seven nations, made up of the US, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan, represent the world's richest democracies. This year, eight other countries including Australia and India have also been invited.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-65646055