The prime minister of Japan pledged on Wednesday to encourage Poland’s development so that it can help the neighbouring Ukrainian nation protect itself from Russian invasion.
A day after Fumio Kishida paid a surprise visit to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki welcomed Kishida to Warsaw.
“Bearing in mind the increasing burden on Poland due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine,” Kishida said Japan would offer Poland assistance to support its role and is aiming to “vigorously build up” projects. Poland is no longer eligible for Japan’s customary form of development aid, but the Japanese government is making an exception, according to him
According to Kishida, it is essential that similar-minded nations like Japan and Poland stick together in their support for Ukraine and in the expansion of sanctions on Russia.
In a joint press conference with Kishida, Morawiecki stated that both nations recognise the “danger to world peace coming from Russia’s imperialism” at a time when a “new geo-political order” is emerging. Throughout the 13-month-old conflict, Poland has offered military, humanitarian, and diplomatic support to Ukraine.
In May, Kishida, who will preside over the Group of Seven summit, indicated that Japan would emphasise the need of maintaining its relationship with Poland and securing international support for Ukraine.
Kishida also stated that Japan was interested in strengthening ties with regional alliances in central and eastern Europe, such as the nine NATO eastern flank members, the Visegrad Group, which consists of Poland, The Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, and nations taking part in the Three Seas economic initiative. Kishida’s discussions with Morawiecki went beyond the initial 30-minute time frame. Kishida later met later with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Kishida visited Ukraine on Tuesday while Chinese leader President Xi Jinping held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two visits showing how various countries are lining up behind Moscow or Kyiv.
