Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in war-torn Kyiv

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Japanese Prime Minister Kishida paid a visit to war-torn Ukraine. Kishida's meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy was interpreted by experts as a "signal of strong solidarity".

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida in war-torn Kyiv

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida flew to Poland on Tuesday and later visited Ukraine. Kishida met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Kishida was the last of the G7 leaders to visit Ukraine after Russia launched its war against Kyiv last February.

'SIGNAL OF STRONG SOLIDARITY'

Experts told Anadolu that this was a "signal of strong solidarity" of the West with Kyiv.

Jingdong Yuan, an international affairs scholar at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI),  pointed to the significance of the visit. “The symbolism couldn't have been clearer, signaling strong solidarity of the West in support of Ukraine,” he said.

Taiwanese academic Chienyu Shih agreed with Yuan, arguing “Kishida’s visit represents Ukraine is not alone but with global support to resist Russian invasion.”

'UKRAINE IS HAPPY TO WELCOME'

Ukraine was delighted with Kishida’s visit as First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Dzheppa said the country “is happy to welcome” him.

“This historic visit is a sign of solidarity and strong cooperation between Ukraine and Japan,” Dzheppa wrote in a tweet with pictures of the Japanese premier’s arrival. “We are grateful to Japan for its strong support and contribution to our future victory,” she said.

FIRST TIME FOR A JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER

While Japanese media called Kishida’s unannounced visit “rare” since information about such foreign visits is released beforehand, Kishida used a private business jet rather than a government plane “to minimize the prime minister's entourage, and strictly control the outflow of information.”

Yuan said it was the “first time a Japanese prime minister ever visits a country in war.”

Given all the complex planning and risks involved, this is an act of showing solidarity with Ukraine in its fight for sovereignty against Russian aggression,” added the SIPRI scholar.

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