Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Tuesday for a surprise visit, Japan’s foreign ministry said.
Fumio Kishida will “convey to President Zelensky his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people who defend their home under his leadership, as well as the solidarity and unfailing support for Ukraine from Japan and the G7”, including the country of Asia is hosting this year, the ministry said in a statement.
Before this meeting on Tuesday, he traveled to Boutcha, a martyr city near kyiv that has become a symbol of the atrocities of the Russian occupation. Fumio Kishida went to Boutcha by train at the start of the afternoon, shortly after arriving in kyiv, AFP journalists on the spot noted. His trip to the war-torn country was described as “historic” by kyiv.
“This historic visit is a sign of solidarity and strong cooperation between Ukraine and Japan,” Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Djeppar said on Facebook, posting photos of Fumio Kishida on the train platform in Kyiv. . “We are grateful to Japan for their strong support and contribution to our future victory,” she added.
The Japanese prime minister was the only leader from the group who has not yet been to Kyiv since the Russian invasion in February 2022. He was regularly called upon to visit Ukraine. In February, US President Joe Biden also made a surprise visit to kyiv.
Japanese television NHK said its reporters in Poland filmed a car carrying the prime minister to the town of Przemysl, from where foreign officials often boarded a train to Ukraine.
“The convoy entered Przemysl station and parked in front of a platform used by international trains heading to Ukraine. Prime Minister Kishida alighted from the first car of the convoy and boarded the last carriage of the train,” she added. According to the channel, the train left at 1:30 a.m. (0330 GMT).
Kishida had repeated that the trip was “under consideration”, with government sources telling Japanese media about security concerns and logistical challenges. He becomes the first Japanese prime minister to visit a war zone since the end of World War II.
His visit comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Moscow for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and, at the center of discussions, the conflict in Ukraine.
Tokyo has joined Western sanctions against Russia and offered help to Kyiv. In February, Japan announced $5.5 billion (€5.1 billion) in new aid to Ukraine. Tokyo also sent him defensive equipment and offered to welcome those fleeing the conflict.
Japan, however, did not provide military aid, its pacifist constitution obliging it to limit its military capabilities to defensive measures.
Consult our file: War in Ukraine
