Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday that Japan considers Russia's annexation of parts of southern and eastern Ukraine a violation of international law.

Kishida also told reporters after his telephone conversation with Zelenskyy that Japan will consider further sanctions on Russia and continue supporting Ukraine in efforts to end the ever-intensifying war, launched by Moscow in February, as soon as possible.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees to recognize the independence of two southern, partly Russia-controlled Ukrainian regions, in a move seen as an escalation of Moscow's war.