At the time the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was landing in Hiroshima, the cameras zoomed in on the plane carrying him: a military Airbus, with the French tricolor flag prominently displayed.

At times, after Russia invaded the UkraineFrench President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic overtures and statements about peace talks angered some of his allies who were wary of his initiatives, even though Paris provided substantial military and economic aid to Kiev.

But on Friday, when Zelensky first arrived in Jeddah to address the Arab Leaguethe French Airbus with the tricolor emblem marked a diplomatic victory for Macron.

According to French officials, the idea of ​​having the Ukrainian president attend the G7 has been in the works for several weeks, after initial discussions with the Japanese hosts, as the list of participants was long this time. The summit is also attended by leaders of the Global South, a term that refers to low- and middle-income countries such as Brazil and India, which have not distanced themselves from Russia.

“The Ukrainians demanded that President Zelensky be transferred by the French army,” a French presidency official said. The final decision was made on Wednesday. “We were asked on Wednesday if we could transfer him on Thursday. We told them yes,” a Macron adviser said.

According to French officials, they picked up the Ukrainian delegation from the border with Poland and took it to Jeddah, a 4.5-hour journey, as part of Zelensky’s broader effort to reach out to countries that have not taken sides in the war. “It was an opportunity to explain his position to countries he doesn’t normally talk to,” another French official said.

Before the meeting he had with him Macron in Hiroshima today, Zelensky thanked France and said he had received “positive indications” from Arab countries, without elaborating. Macron commented that Zelensky’s presence at the G7 is a “French initiative” that “could change the situation” for Kiev.

One of the officials who traveled on the plane with the Ukrainian delegation said he was struck by how tired everyone was and that they took the opportunity to get some sleep during the 15-hour flight from Saudi Arabia to Japan, crossing Chinese airspace along the way. This was Zelensky’s first visit to Asia since the start of the war 15 months ago.

The Ukrainian delegation was accompanied on the plane by Macron’s adviser on Ukraine, Ms Isabelle Dimonformer ambassador of France in Kyiv.

After the conclusion of the G7, Zelensky will board the French plane again but it is unknown what his next stop will be or if he will return back to Kiev. “There is no flight plan yet,” the Elysée said succinctly.