HIROSHIMA--Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived Saturday in Japan for diplomatic talks with the leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies as they tighten sanctions meant to punish Moscow over its 15-month invasion of Ukraine.

Zelenskyy’s decision to visit Hiroshima stems from his “strong wish” to participate in talks with the Group of Seven and other countries that will influence his nation’s defense against Russia, host nation Japan said.

Bolstering international support is a key priority for Ukraine as it prepares for what is seen as a major push intended to take back territory seized by Russia in the war that began in February last year. Zelenskyy’s visit comes just hours after the United States agreed to allow training on potent American-made fighter jets, laying the groundwork for their eventual transfer to Ukraine.

“Japan. G-7. Important meetings with partners and friends of Ukraine. Security and enhanced cooperation for our victory. Peace will become closer today,” Zelenskyy tweeted upon his arrival on a plane provided by France.

An EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity to brief reporters on the deliberations, said Zelenskyy would take part in two separate sessions Sunday. The first session will be with G-7 members only and will focus on the war in Ukraine. The second session will include the G-7 as well as the other nations invited to take part in the summit, and will focus on “peace and stability.”

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that President Joe Biden and Zelenskyy would have direct engagement at the summit. On Friday, Biden announced his support for training Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, a precursor to eventually providing those aircraft to Ukraine’s Air Force.

The G-7 vowed to intensify the pressure in its joint statement Saturday.

“Russia’s brutal war of aggression represents a threat to the whole world in breach of fundamental norms, rules and principles of the international community. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes to bring a comprehensive, just and lasting peace,” the group said.

World leaders have faced a balancing act at the G-7 in Hiroshima as they look to address a raft of global worries demanding urgent attention, including climate change, AI, poverty and economic instability, nuclear proliferation and, above all, the war in Ukraine.

China, the world’s No. 2 economy, sits at the nexus of many of those concerns.

There is increasing anxiety in Asia that Beijing, which has been steadily building up its nuclear weapons program, could try to seize Taiwan by force, sparking a wider conflict. China claims the self-governing island as its own and regularly sends ships and warplanes near it.

The G-7 leaders issued a statement warning that China’s “accelerating build-up of its nuclear arsenal without transparency (or) meaningful dialogue poses a concern to global and regional stability.”

“We do seek to cooperate with China on matters of mutual interest," Sullivan said of the statement. "We will work to address our significant concerns that we have with China in a range of areas.”

North Korea, which has been testing missiles at a torrid pace in an attempt to perfect a nuclear program meant to target the mainland United States, must completely abandon its nuclear bomb ambitions, the leaders’ statement said, “including any further nuclear tests or launches that use ballistic missile technology. North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State under” international nuclear treaties.

The green light on F-16 training is the latest shift by the Biden administration as it moves to arm Ukraine with more advanced and lethal weaponry, following earlier decisions to send rocket launcher systems and Abrams tanks. The United States has insisted that it is sending weapons to Ukraine to defend itself and has discouraged attacks by Ukraine into Russian territory.

“We’ve reached a moment where it is time to look down the road again to say what is Ukraine going to need as part of a future force, to be able to deter and defend against Russian aggression as we go forward,” Sullivan said.

The G-7 leaders have rolled out a new wave of global sanctions on Moscow as well as plans to enhance the effectiveness of existing financial penalties meant to constrain President Vladimir Putin’s war effort. Russia is now the most-sanctioned country in the world, but there are questions about the effectiveness.

“Our support for Ukraine will not waver,” the G-7 leaders said in a statement released after closed-door meetings. They vowed “to stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustifiable and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.”

“Russia started this war and can end this war,” they said.

Zelenskyy has consistently called for Western fighter jets to bolster his country’s defenses. As Ukraine has improved its air defenses with a host of Western-supplied anti-aircraft systems and prepares to launch a counteroffensive against Russia, officials believe the jets could become essential to the country’s long-term security.

Biden told leaders he will decide when, how many and who will provide the fourth-generation F-16 fighter jets in the months ahead while the training is under way.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida separately held talks Saturday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, which is hosting the gathering of G-20 world leaders later this year. During their meeting, Kishida emphasized that attempts to change by force shouldn’t be tolerated anywhere in the world--a possible reference to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a warning to China over Taiwan.

India, the world’s largest democracy, has been measured in its comments on the war in Ukraine, and has avoided outright condemnation of Russia’s invasion. While India maintains close ties with the United States and its Western allies, it is also a major buyer of Russian arms and oil.

The latest sanctions aimed at Russia include tighter restrictions on already-sanctioned people and firms involved in the war effort. More than 125 individuals and organizations across 20 countries have been hit with U.S. sanctions.

In addition, new reporting requirements were issued for people and firms that have any interest in Russian Central Bank assets. The purpose is to “fully map holdings of Russia’s sovereign assets that will remain immobilized in G-7 jurisdictions until Russia pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine,” the U.S. Treasury Department said.

The G-7 nations said that they would work to keep Russia from using the international financial system to prosecute its war, and they urged other nations to stop providing Russia with support and weapons “or face severe costs.”

A U.S. official said the leaders on Saturday would issue a joint communique outlining new projects in the G-7’s global infrastructure development initiative, which is meant to offer countries an alternative to China’s investment dollars.

The G-7 includes Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada and Italy, as well as the European Union.