New Delhi - In anticipation of the G20 summit in New Delhi, President Emmanuel Macron of France joins Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in reaching out to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. These phone calls come in the midst of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, casting a shadow over the summit.

Zelenskyy shared on a social media platform that he and Macron engaged in a phone call to discuss France's military support for Ukraine. During the conversation, Macron pledged France's active involvement in promoting Ukraine's proposed peace formula to end the conflict with Russia.

President Macron is scheduled to travel to New Delhi for the G20 summit, becoming the third leader attending the international economic cooperation forum to contact President Zelenskyy before the event. The summit, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has invited leaders from 19 G20 nations, the European Union, and nine other nations.

India's decision not to include President Zelenskyy as a "special invitee" to the summit, ostensibly to avoid straining relations with Russia, has garnered attention and criticism from Western leaders. Zelenskyy previously addressed the G20 leaders via video link during the 17th summit held in Bali, Indonesia, in 2022, where he presented his peace proposal, while Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend.

Putin will also be absent from the 18th G20 summit taking place over the weekend. The phone calls from G7 leaders to Zelenskyy are seen as a show of support for Ukraine, as New Delhi aims to downplay the Russia-Ukraine conflict's prominence at the summit.

However, the United States is expected to discuss ways to address the social and economic impacts of "Putin's war in Ukraine," despite efforts to shift the focus of the summit. Trudeau openly expressed disappointment in India's decision not to invite Zelenskyy to the event.