president of ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky Compares the horror of Hiroshima to the destruction of the city Bachmut exist G7 Summit Sunday in Japan.

After Russia said it had full control of the war-torn city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine – a claim Zelensky denied – Ukraine’s leader said comparing Bakhmut to the first city to be hit by a nuclear attack was a mistake. unfair.

But speaking in Hiroshima, which hosts a three-day summit for the leaders of the world’s seven largest economies, he said photos of the city where the U.S. dropped its atomic bomb in 1945 “definitely remind me of Bakhmut and other cities like it.”

He said, “Absolutely nothing, there’s no life there, all the buildings are destroyed, you don’t even know where the streets are, where the buildings are. Absolutely utter devastation. There’s nothing left, there’s no people left.”

Today, he said Hiroshima was “a modern city that looks vibrant, respectful of people and values,” adding that he believed the same would happen to Bachmut and other towns and villages.

Zelensky was not expected to attend the summit in person, but after arriving on a French plane in his signature green military uniform on Saturday, he was warmly welcomed by other leaders, including President Joe Biden, who was on Sunday.

He said Ukraine was looking forward to “high-quality weapons” from all countries in the G7, which include Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and the United States.

“We’re going to get the jets,” he said. “So far, I can’t say how many people there are. It’s not a secret. I really don’t know yet.”

His comment is after Yevgeny Prigorzhin, chief of Wagner’s mercenaries, whose fighters led Russia’s costly push against Bahmut, claimed on Saturday to finally capture the city. The Russian Ministry of Defense also said in the telegram that the “liberation” of the city had been completed.

Zelensky disputed those claims, saying his troops were “holding on” and “fighting, thanks to the courage of our people and fighters, as well as our intelligence.”

Moscow is focused on taking Bahmut over the winter, hoping for a much-needed success that could also serve as a stepping stone to the rest of the Donbass, the surrounding industrial heartland.

Ukraine sought to weaken the Russian army with a protracted battle that turned into one of the longest and bloodiest of the war, buying its army time to prepare for a crucial counteroffensive.

On Sunday, Zelensky declined to provide details on where Ukraine would launch the attack.

“When a counteroffensive happens, Russia will feel it,” he said.