Topline
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Kyiv on a surprise visit on Tuesday where he is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, an important diplomatic gesture that comes just a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow and met Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference at his official residence in … [+]
Key Facts
The trip was announced by the Japanese Foreign Ministry in a statement which said Kishida intends to express his “respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people standing up to defend their homeland” during his meeting with Zelensky.
As the chair of the G7 group of nations, the Japanese prime minister also intends to express the group’s “solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine,” the statement added.
The statement also notes that Kishida will “resolutely reject” Russian aggression and its efforts to unilaterally change the status quo by force.
Japanese news agency Kyodo News noted that it was rare for a Japanese leader to make an unannounced visit to a foreign country, and officials in Tokyo previously indicated a trip to Kyiv would be challenging for security reasons.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed Kishida boarding a train to Kyiv from Przemysl, Poland at around 1.30 am local time.
News Peg
On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first trip to Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, and held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin signaling closer ties between the two countries as tension continued to grow between Beijing and Washington. While Xi has attempted to present himself as a neutral arbiter in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Chinese leader reiterated many of Putin’s concerns about western hegemony and bullying in an editorial published on Russian state media. Along with the U.S. and its western allies, Tokyo has also seen its relationship with Beijing and Moscow deteriorate over the past year. Aside from the invasion of Ukraine, Japan has expressed alarm about joint military exercises conducted by Russia and China—two countries it has territorial disputes with.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/03/21/japanese-prime-minister-kishida-makes-surprise-visit-to-kyiv-after-putin-hosts-chinas-xi-in-moscow/