Japan foreign minister visits Ukraine, vows $37 milion aid via NATO

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Sunday, pledging a $37 million contribution to a NATO fund to provide additional support for the Eastern European nation’s defense against the ongoing Russian invasion.

Kamikawa, visiting Ukraine for the first time since taking the role in September, said Japan will deliver an unmanned aircraft detecting system and other aid through the latest funding during a joint press conference in Kyiv with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, after their talks.

Tokyo will also provide Kyiv with five mobile gas turbine power generators to help Ukrainians endure the harsh winter, Kamikawa added, expressing her country’s unwavering resolve to “keep supporting Ukraine so that peace can be restored.”

Her visit comes ahead of a conference the two countries will hold in Tokyo on Feb. 19 aimed at discussing the reconstruction of Ukraine, which has suffered widespread destruction since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Kamikawa, who arrived in Ukraine by train from Poland, reiterated Japan’s condemnation of Russia over its bombardment using missiles and drones and vowed to assist Ukrainians in building shelters and providing educational and medical services for women and children.

She also stressed the importance of upholding the international order based on the rule of law from the standpoint of not tolerating any attempts to change the status quo by force.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise trip to Ukraine in March and promised to supply $30 million worth of nonlethal equipment to Ukraine through the NATO fund. Kamikawa’s predecessor, Yoshimasa Hayashi, visited the country in September.

By TTU

Source KYODO