Japan's Pm, Eu Leaders Discuss Russian Invasion
Japanese and European Union leaders have agreed that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a threat to international order, and must not be tolerated.
European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Tokyo on Thursday.
The ongoing invasion was a big focus of their meeting.
Kishida said, "Japan will cooperate with the G7 to impose sanctions on Russia. We will continue to support Ukraine." Kishida added that they had agreed to call on other Asian and African nations for cooperation in responding to the invasion.
European Council President Michel emphasized the importance of the alliance between Japan and the EU.
He said, "Together we are providing significant humanitarian financial and military support for Ukraine and its people. We also stressed our cooperation to prevent the circumvention of sanctions and to combat disinformation, and we are convinced those responsible for war crimes must be, and will be, brought to justice."
Security in the Indo-Pacific region, where China's influence is growing, is also on the agenda for Thursday's meetings.
This is the EU leaders' first visit to Japan since they took office in 2019. Michel plans to visit the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima on Friday.