Tokyo ready to strengthen sanctions against Russia – Japanese Prime Minister
Photo: Shigeru Ishiba, Prime Minister of Japan (facebook.com/ishibashigeru)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The parties, in particular, discussed sanctions against Russia, according to the press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
The President congratulated Ishiba on his election as Prime Minister and thanked Japan for providing Ukraine with humanitarian and financial assistance totaling $12 billion.
Zelenskyy also noted the decision of the Japanese government to provide Ukraine with another $3 billion loan, which will be repaid from frozen Russian assets.
During the talks, the Ukrainian President told the Japanese Prime Minister about today's massive Russian attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Zelenskyy emphasized the priority of protecting and restoring the energy sector in the context of the war with Russia.
Zelenskyy and Ishiba also condemned North Korea's involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“The Prime Minister stated that Japan takes this escalation extremely seriously, considering it a major security threat in the Indo-Pacific region, and is ready to increase sanctions pressure on the aggressor,” the President's Office said in a statement.
Separately, Zelenskyy thanked Japan for its willingness to cooperate with the democratic world to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Japan's sanctions against Russia
In November, the Japanese media reported that the Japanese government was considering tightening sanctions against Russia and North Korea.
Tokyo wants to coordinate such actions with other countries, including the G7 countries.
In May of this year, Japan imposed sanctions on Russian legal entities for supplying weapons from North Korea.
