Ukraine is negotiating a security agreement with U.S. ally Japan as the Kremlin’s war against Kyiv continues, Ukraine’s ambassador in Tokyo said on Tuesday.
“The agreement with Japan is being negotiated as with any other. As you rightfully said, we have concluded several agreements. With Japan, this is still in the process,” Sergiy Korsunsky, Ukrainian ambassador to Japan, said at a press conference in Tokyo.
Korsunsky’s revelations come amidst a series of security pacts signed by Group of Seven (G7) nations with Ukraine, which aim to bolster the country as it faces ongoing Russian aggression.
“There is a clear understanding between G7 and Ukraine that those security guarantee agreements will be concluded by each country,” Korsunsky stated, underscoring the nuanced approach to international support.
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The ambassador shed light on the meticulous negotiations aimed at forging a robust security framework between Japan and Ukraine.
“The agreement with Japan is being negotiated as with any other [country],” Korsunsky noted, indicating the ongoing process and the strategic importance of Japan’s support in the broader context of Ukraine’s defense strategy.
Japan has officially condemned the Kremlin’s aggression against Kyiv as the full-scale war in Ukraine enters its third year.
“We condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which is a clear violation of international law, including the U.N. Charter,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at the United Nations Security Council on September 20, 2023.
Ukraine is seeking security agreements with G7 countries following a joint-declaration in July 2023 that affirmed commitment to the strategic objective of a free, independent, democratic and sovereign Ukraine.
On February 24, Canada and Italy joined the U.K., Germany, France and Denmark by signing 10-year security agreements with Kyiv, Reuters reported.
The agreements underscore a collective commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and its aspirations to join the NATO military alliance.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered their unwavering support for Ukraine after signing their deals.
“Today, standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies and partners, Canada committed to further assistance, including military and humanitarian support, for Ukraine,” Trudeau said.
“We continue to support Ukraine in what I have always believed is its people’s just right to defend themselves,” Meloni said at a news conference in Kyiv on February 24.
In Tokyo, Ambassador Korsunsky articulated Ukraine’s hopes regarding aid from Japan, prioritizing anti-missile and anti-drone equipment to counter Russian military threats.
“Anti-missile and anti-drone equipment is not designed to kill humans” but “to protect humans,” Japanese media outlet Nippon reported Korsunsky as saying on Tuesday.
Korsunsky stressed that Japan supplying such weapons would not go against its pacifist Constitution.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.