Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, vowing to keep supporting Ukraine in its struggle against “Russia’s invasion,” Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported from Ukraine’s capital on Wednesday.
After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday evening, Kishida said at a joint press conference that he invited the president to participate online in a Group of Seven (G-7) summit he will host in May, while promising to supply USD 30 million worth of nonlethal equipment to Ukraine through a NATO fund, according to the report.
In a joint statement, Kishida and Zelenskyy pledged not to leave unpunished any “war crimes and other atrocities committed during the Russian invasion.” They also confirmed their “unwavering solidarity” and demanded Moscow withdraw all forces from Ukraine “immediately and unconditionally.” Japan has offered financial support to Ukraine, along with humanitarian and medical supplies as well as defense equipment such as bulletproof vests and helmets. But Tokyo has not delivered weapons to Ukraine as Japan’s postwar pacifist Constitution effectively bars the Self-Defense Forces from providing military arms to foreign forces.
Following his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday, Kishida entered Ukraine through Poland.
The Japanese government did not announce his departure for Kyiv in advance for security reasons, but later confirmed media reports about the planned visit while he was in transit to the country.
Source: Kuwait News Agency