Biden says he has 'flat assurance' that Ukraine won't use F-16s to go into Russia

The Ukrainian president's arrival in Hiroshima on Saturday afternoon on a French government plane marked a dramatic turn as US President Joe Biden and other leaders strengthened their call for Moscow to end its invasion, announcing new sanctions and increased military assistance.

In one of its most strongly worded messages on China, the G7 communique took aim at Beijing over "economic coercion" and said the group would pare back exposure to the world's second-largest economy in everything from chips to minerals to supply chains.

In describing twin threats of Russian aggression and Chinese bullying, the leaders called on non-aligned countries such as India, whose Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the summit, to give full support to Ukraine.

Russia and Ukraine differed on the status of Bakhmut with Russian President Vladimir Putin hailing what he said was a victory for his and the Wagner mercenary forces in Bakhmut, describing it as a "liberation" in a statement on the Kremlin's website.

Zelenskiy disagreed with a top military commander saying Ukrainians were continuing their advance on the besieged city.

The Ukrainian president said either way, there was nothing left of Bakhmut where rubble replaced even clear roads.

On the final day of the three-day summit, Biden announced a $375 million package of military aid for Ukraine, including artillery and armoured vehicles.

The US leader said that he had received a "flat assurance" from Zelenskiy that he would not use Western-provided F-16 fighter jets to go into Russian territory, but could be used "wherever Russian troops are within Ukraine and the area".

He said it was "highly unlikely" the planes would be used in any Ukrainian offensive in the coming weeks, but that Ukrainian troops could need such weapons to defend themselves against Russian forces beyond their current reach.

Zelenskiy said "We will have the planes. For now, I can't say how many. It's not a secret. I don't know this myself."

At a news conference after the Group of Seven nations wrapped up their summit in Hiroshima, Biden said they had agreed to a united approach to China that called for diversifying supply chains to reduce dependence on one country, and hinted that he could speak with China's president soon.

"We're not looking to decouple from China. We're looking to de-risk and diversify our relationship with China," said Biden, adding that he expected a thaw in frosty relations with China "very shortly" after strains caused by an incident earlier this year when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon that flew over sensitive military sites.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country will support Ukraine for as long and as much as necessary in its conflict with Russia, including the training of Ukrainian soldiers and possibly pilots.