Sybiha Meets Japanese Lawmakers in Kyiv to Discuss Further Security Cooperation

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has met a delegation of Japanese lawmakers in Kyiv to discuss deeper security cooperation, despite Russia intensifying its daily barrage on Ukraine nationwide. The delegation, made up of members of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and led by former Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, arrived in Kyiv as planned, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, Sept. 30.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Ukraine is ready to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Japan, drawing on our experience and capabilities, and to identify areas in which our countries can strengthen each other’s security,” Sybiha said, noting that “what is happening in Europe has direct consequences for Asia, and vice versa.” Europe and Asia’s shared security The two sides discussed additional ways to expand bilateral cooperation, with particular focus on security. The meeting also covered the links between security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, including Russia’s deepening military partnership with North Korea, whose troops increasingly fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine. An agreement was reportedly reached on the need to step up pressure on Moscow, including cracking down on sanctions evasion and making full use of immobilized Russian assets for Ukraine’s benefit. According to the Foreign Ministry, Sybiha and Onodera also discussed Russia’s efforts to block shipping in the Black Sea and the need to restore safe navigation, which the ministry described as critical for global food security and trade. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Plans Fourth Phase of Operation Vivaldi, Zelensky Says Around 250 Russian soldiers have been captured during the operation, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said thwarted a push toward Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Long-standing partners Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, Japan has emerged as one of Ukraine’s most important allies in Asia, with its financial and humanitarian support exceeding $20 billion. In April, Kyiv received a $1.3 billion grant from Tokyo, funded by profits from frozen Russian assets under the G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration initiative. Japan also contributed $14.7 million in May to NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) – a mechanism intended for financing deliveries of US-made weapons to Ukraine. A speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives, Eisuke Mori, became the first holder of the position to speak in the Ukrainian parliament’s plenary chamber on Tuesday, Sept. 15. He came to the Verkhovna Rada wearing a vyshyvanka, a traditional Ukrainian garment. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the meeting as “particularly important” due to Japan’s possible participation in the PURL. Tokyo has also been exploring a role in Ukraine’s Drone Deal initiative, while supplying demining tools, forensic laboratory equipment and emergency vehicles. Kyiv has also backed Tokyo on a key territorial issue. In 2022, Zelensky signed a decree recognizing the southern Kuril Islands, which Japan calls its Northern Territories, as Japanese territory under temporary Russian occupation. Japan’s diplomatic ties with Moscow deteriorate Meanwhile, as Tokyo’s partnership with Kyiv has grown, its relations with Moscow have significantly worsened. After Japan joined Western sanctions imposed over Russia’s war in Ukraine, Moscow suspended peace treaty talks and ended programs allowing former Japanese residents to visit the disputed islands. Tensions escalated further on Aug. 13, when Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the islands in more than 25 years in power. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the visit “absolutely unacceptable,” and Tokyo summoned Russia’s ambassador in protest. Moscow responded by summoning Japan’s ambassador, Akira Muto, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accusing Japanese officials of having “crossed the line of decency.” Around the same time, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev claimed that the islands “were, are, and will remain Russian land,” and that anyone who fails to understand this will face direct consequences. The dispute over the islands, which the Soviet Union seized in 1945, has prevented the two countries from ever signing a formal peace treaty ending World War II. The remarks are part of a broader pattern of threats from senior Russian officials. On Sept. 11, Medvedev said Lithuania would “disappear from the map of the world” if it lifted its long-standing ban on nuclear weapons. Days later, Putin again raised Moscow’s long-standing complaints about the treatment of Russian minorities in the Baltic states, while insisting that Russia had no plans for a military action against Europe. The Kremlin used similar unfounded claims that Russian speakers faced violations of their rights in Ukraine to justify its full-scale invasion of the country. The rhetoric has fueled growing concern among NATO members, already on alert due to repeated sabotage campaigns and frequent drone incursions on their territory, as well as intelligence warnings that Russia could test the alliance by conducting a limited ground attack. On Monday, Sept. 28, Russia’s embassy in Belgium warned that Moscow was ready to use its entire arsenal of weapons should NATO members try to isolate Kaliningrad. NATO rejected the threat, reiterating that it is a defensive alliance. It also condemned Russia’s “irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” and threats of force. 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