Japan PM Kishida heads to Ukraine for surprise visit after India trip; check details

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is making a surprise trip to Ukraine on Tuesday (March 21) to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. This comes a day after Chinese leader Xi Jinping met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Visuals by Japan's public broadcaster NHK showed Kishida riding a train from Poland heading to Kyiv. The Japanese PM's surprise visit to Ukraine comes just hours after he met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. 

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Kishida, who is all set to chair the Group of Seven summit in May, is the only G-7 leader who hasn't visited Ukraine and was under pressure to do so at home.

Tokyo has been in step with other G7 nations in imposing sanctions against Russia and supporting Kyiv over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. During his Ukraine visit, Kishida is expected to offer continuing support for Ukraine when he meets with Zelenskyy.

In India, Prime Ministers Modi and Kishida discussed the Ukraine conflict and its implications. 

"Russia's aggression against Ukraine obliges us to face the most fundamental challenge; defending peace. Various challenges related to 'global commons' such as climate and the environment, global health and cyberspace, have become more serious," the Japanese PM said. He also denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

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"I reiterate that Japan strongly condemns Russia's aggression against Ukraine and will never recognise it. Prime Minister Modi too expressed to President Putin that 'today's era is not of war'," he said.

While Japan and India are special strategic and global partners, New Delhi has not been forthcoming in criticising Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

• Fumio Kishida
• Japan
• Japanese
• Kyiv
• Russia
• Ukraine
• Volodymyr Zelenskyy
• Xi Jinping