It was a trip that caught most people off guard: Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa suddenly appeared in Kyiv on Jan. 7, her first visit to Ukraine since becoming Japan’s top diplomat in September.
A packed schedule saw Kamikawa meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and participating in an event centered on bolstering Ukraine's energy security through the winter months.
This was more than a social call, as it came at a very important time in securing international support for Kyiv's defense against Russian aggression. The arrival of winter has created a lull in the Ukrainian counteroffensive, compounding several countries’ wavering interest in providing aid to Kyiv as it seeks to recover territory seized by Russia over the past 22 months.