Japan, Ukraine stress diplomacy to ease tensions with Russia

TOKYO, February 15

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Tuesday he had agreed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to pursue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions over Russia’s military buildup near the border with Ukraine.

Troop withdrawal positive sign: France

Paris: French Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said on Tuesday that even though France had not yet verified whether Russia was pulling back some troops from Ukraine’s border, it would be a “positive sign” if the information was correct. Reuters

Following a phone call with Zelenskiy, Kishida also said Japan planned to take appropriate steps, including possible sanctions, if Russia invades Ukraine, echoing what his Foreign Minister, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said earlier on Tuesday.

Moscow denies planning to invade Ukraine, accusing the West of hysteria.

Kishida and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also discussed the Ukraine situation during a telephone call on Tuesday, Japan’s foreign ministry said. “The two leaders shared the view that they have monitored the situation around Ukraine with grave concern and consistently supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Moscow on Tuesday against recognising the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics in eastern Ukraine. — Agencies