Japanese Prime Minister to Make Surprise Kiev Visit

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida seen with Indian Prime Minister Modi during their meetings in New Delhi.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be making a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital on Tuesday where he’ll meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Kishida departed Japan on Monday and made a stop in India to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Kishida has already completed his visit with Modi and is en route to Kiev, according to the Japanese media outlet NHK. This surprise visit comes close to a month after Japan pledged $5.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. At the time Kishida spoke about the aid package saying, “Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is not just a European matter, but a challenge to the rules and principles of the entire international community.” This surprise visit coincides with Chinese President Xi’s ongoing visit to Moscow.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said that the purpose of the trip is to “show respect to the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people who are standing up to defend their homeland under President Zelenskyy’s leadership, and show solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine as head of Japan and chairman of G-7.” The Foreign Ministry went on to say that Kishida will show his “absolute rejection to Russia’s one-sided change to the status quo by invasion and force, and to affirm his commitment to defend the rules-based international order.” Like other G7 leaders that have visited Kiev, Kishida will arrive in Poland and from there will take a train to Kiev.

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