Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday that he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Japan will continue supporting the European country, which has been at war with Russia since February 2022.
After holding phone talks with the president, Kishida told reporters at his office that Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Japan's efforts to provide assistance to Ukraine, while condemning Russia's prolonged aggression against its neighbor.
The telephone conversation followed a planned bilateral meeting in July during the NATO summit in Lithuania that failed to materialize due to extended discussions. At that time, the two leaders only managed a brief exchange.
Their talk comes ahead of the Group of 20 summit in India next month, where Kishida plans to confirm the importance of assistance for Ukraine and ongoing sanctions against Russia with other leaders. Russia is expected to attend the gathering.
During talks on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in May in Hiroshima, Kishida told Zelenskyy that Japan would supply some 100 vehicles from its Self-Defense Forces, including small trucks and material carriers, to Ukraine as part of its assistance.
Arrangements are also being made to hold a conference on Ukraine's reconstruction in Japan early next year