Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida went to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, during a visit to Ukraine, invited President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to take part in the G7 summit online, the invitation was accepted, the Kyodo news agency reported. “As G7 president, we are determined to defend the world order.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida went to Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Kishida, who is to chair the Group of Seven summits in May, is the only G-7 leader who hasn’t visited Ukraine and was under pressure to do so at home.
We are preparing to give a clear message at the summit,” Kishida said as quoted by the news agency. Kishida visited Ukraine on Tuesday, where he met with Zelenskyy. Before that, Kishida was the only G7 head of state who had yet to meet with Zelenskyy in person. During his visit to Kiev, the Japanese prime minister pledged to allocate $470 million in free aid for the power industry and other humanitarian needs.
Japan will also allocate $30 million to Ukraine through a NATO fund for non-lethal equipment. After Ukraine, Kishida returned to Poland, where he will meet with the country’s leadership on Wednesday. Japan took over the G7 presidency in 2023. The G7 summit will take place in Hiroshima on May 19-21, 2023.
Kishida, who is to chair the Group of Seven summits in May, is the only G-7 leader who hasn’t visited Ukraine and was under pressure to do so at home.
Japan has been in step with other G-7 nations in sanctioning Russia and supporting Ukraine over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Kishida is expected to offer continuing support for Ukraine when he meets with Zelenskyy.
Fumio Kishida born 29 July 1957 is a Japanese politician serving as prime minister of Japan and president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2021. A member of the House of Representatives, he previously served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2017 and as acting Minister of Defense in 2017. From 2017 to 2020, he also chaired the LDP Policy Research Council. Born into a political family, Kishida spent part of his childhood in the United States where he attended elementary school in New York City.