G-7 Summit: Lula meets with world leaders

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is scheduled to arrive in Japan on Friday morning (May 19) local time to attend the G7 Summit, a gathering of leaders from the world's major economies including the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Canada. During the summit, Lula will engage in bilateral meetings with at least seven heads of state and government, including French President Emmanuel Macron.

Lula is seeking support for the negotiation of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, having engaged in personal discussions with numerous world leaders. His meeting with Macron started being planned some time ago. Both presidents attended the coronation of King Charles in London earlier this month but were unable to have a private meeting at the time.

"Someone in this world has to worry about peace, make a decision, and try to convince those who are at war to stop war, sit down and negotiate," Lula told journalists on the occasion in London. Brazil’s special advisor for international affairs and former foreign minister Celso Amorim has also traveled to Russia and Ukraine to talk personally with the leaders of the two countries and gain a comprehensive understanding of their key demands, laying the groundwork for future peace negotiations.

Since February 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has resulted in a significant loss of life, displacement of thousands of refugees, and substantial disruptions to global food and energy production and distribution.

During President Lula's participation in the G7 summit in Hiroshima, the subject of war remains one of his top priorities. Additionally, topics such as food security, inflation's repercussions, the mounting debt burdens of developing nations, climate change mitigation efforts, and strengthening the global healthcare system will also be addressed.