Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will hold his first trilateral meeting with his counterparts from the U.S. and South Korea on Saturday, on the sidelines of a major multilateral security conference in Germany.

“By holding the trilateral foreign ministers' meeting on this occasion, we would like to take this opportunity to confirm that, with the inauguration of the new U.S. administration, Japan, the U.S. and South Korea will continue to unite and work together for regional peace and prosperity,” Iwaya told a news conference Friday.

“As the security environment in the region becomes increasingly severe, I believe that the strategic partnership between Japan, the U.S., and South Korea is more important than ever,” he added.

The talks at the Munich Security Conference will be the first under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, and follow his meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last week. At those talks, Ishiba and Trump agreed to “advance multilayered and aligned cooperation among like-minded countries,” including between Japan, South Korea and the U.S.

Saturday’s talks will involve Iwaya, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul. Iwaya held his first meeting with Rubio when the foreign minister visited Washington for Trump’s inauguration last month.

Trump, who has hinted that he is open to reengaging with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un years after he held three meetings with the strongman during his first term, reaffirmed his “resolute commitment to the complete denuclearization” of Pyongyang in a joint statement released after his talks with Ishiba.

Some observers have voiced concern that Trump’s penchant for transactionalism when dealing with U.S. allies could impede further progress in cementing trilateral ties that blossomed under former U.S. President Joe Biden.

But the three-way relationship also faces another challenge from the Seoul side in the wake of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment and ongoing trial over his failed martial law bid.

Iwaya will also take part in a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting during his trip, with the war in Ukraine — and Trump’s recent call with Russian President Vladimir Putin — likely at the top of the agenda.

Trump on Wednesday discussed the conflict with Putin and separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and told U.S. officials to begin talks on ending the nearly 3-year-old war.

The phone calls came shortly after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Kyiv's military allies in Brussels that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders — before Russia annexed Crimea — was unrealistic and that the U.S. does not see NATO membership for Ukraine as part of a solution.

Asked about the recent developments and whether a ceasefire would be acceptable without restoring Ukrainian territory to pre-2014 borders, Iwaya said Tokyo was watching “with great interest.”

“Of course we believe that it is important to realize a just and lasting peace as soon as possible, with the full involvement of Ukraine,” he said. But, he added, “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine are extremely important, and we would like to discuss the issue based on such a view.”