Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Kiev on Tuesday for a surprise visit to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to footage broadcast by Japanese state broadcaster NHK.
Kishida, who traveled to Kyiv from Poland by train, was due to return to Tokyo today after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday.
In January, Kishida told Japan’s parliament that he would visit Ukraine “when the conditions are right”.
Kishida will pay Zelensky his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people, Japan’s foreign ministry said. in a statement quoted by the Spanish agency EFE.
“As a member of the G7, the Prime Minister will directly convey our solidarity and unwavering support to Ukraine,” the Japanese diplomacy added.
#BREAK Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in Kyiv. Japan/G7 is expected to show “solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine” while “resolutely rejecting Russia’s aggression and unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force”. #UkraineRussianWar pic.twitter.com/ysRf5sLs0Y
-Michael Bociurkiw (@WorldAffairsPro) March 21, 2023
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made an unexpected visit to Kiev to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. https://t.co/EwuLnrFxYi
– DW News (@dwnews) March 21, 2023
While Russian and Chinese dictators discuss it in Moscow on March 21, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in Kiev. pic.twitter.com/qlGNIgBmML
– Euan MacDonald (@Euan_MacDonald) March 21, 2023
Kishida had been planning a possible trip to Ukraine since the beginning of this year, according to local media.
Japanese media reported that the trip to Kiev could not be planned far in advance or made public due to security concerns.
The Japanese leader’s visit to Ukraine coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia, which Tokyo says it is closely following..
Xi will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Beijing’s attempt to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
China today expressed hope that Kishida’s trip to Ukraine will serve to “cool down the situation” and not the other way around.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the international community should “promote talks that create the necessary conditions for a political solution to the ‘crisis’ in Ukraine”.
Ukraine hailed Kishida’s “historic visit” as a “sign of solidarity” from Tokyo
The Kishida government has passed a series of sanctions against Russia, including freezing the assets of senior government officials, such as Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
“We will firmly reject any unilateral change of the status quo through aggression and violence on the part of Russia,” Japan’s foreign ministry said of Kishida’s visit to Kiev.
“We will reaffirm our determination to maintain international order based on the rule of law,” he added.
Ukraine hailed Kishida’s “historic visit” as a “sign of solidarity” from Tokyo after more than a year of Russian invasion of the country, EFE reported.
Kishida was the only G7 leader yet to travel to Ukraine, following visits from leaders from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Italy and France.
Japan currently chairs the group that brings together the seven most industrialized countries in the world, in which the European Union also participates.
Following the visit to Ukraine, Fumio Kishida will return to Poland on Wednesday for an official visit to coordinate efforts with Warsaw to deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the Japanese ministry said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine sparked a war that plunged Europe into what is considered the worst security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
The number of civilian and military casualties is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, admit it to be high.
Source: DN
