Japan and Ukraine are looking to hold a summit between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as early as Wednesday, with the meeting set to take place on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Lithuania, government sources said Monday.
During his talks with Zelenskyy, Kishida is expected to express his eagerness to boost support for Ukraine in rebuilding its infrastructure and economy, devastated by Russia's invasion that began in February 2022, the sources said.
It would be the first time for the two leaders to meet since the president made a surprise appearance at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May. In June, Kishida held a telephone conversation with Zelenskyy.
Japan has agreed with Ukraine to establish a liaison system that will support the European country in its efforts to reconstruct areas severely damaged by Russia's aggression.
Tokyo intends to provide Kyiv with advice and knowledge to be used in rebuilding destroyed regions based on the experience gained from the massive 2011 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit northeastern Japan.
The two-day NATO summit is scheduled to start Tuesday in Lithuania. While Japan is not a member of NATO, the Asian nation is a partner of the trans-Atlantic alliance.