Japan interested in talks on security guarantees for Ukraine – Ukraine's Chief-of-Staff
Japan's support is essential and valuable for Ukraine in the fight against the russian aggressor because the Ukrainian and Japanese peoples share the courage and willingness to fight for their land.
The head of the President's Office, Andrii Yermak, stated this in an interview with Japan's most prominent national broadcaster, the NHK TV channel, the Office of the President reports.
"We have known about the strengths of our nation for a long time. The most important thing is that the whole world knows about them today: how heroic and strong Ukrainians are and how they were able to show the whole world that we are not afraid, that we are ready to fight for our land, our freedom, and independence," Yermak said.
He noted that these values were the basis that, in particular, unites the Ukrainian and Japanese peoples.
"Among the russians there are no real samurai, and among the Ukrainians, as it turned out, there are a lot of them. I think that Japan's support is strong because you see yourself in our struggle. You see in Ukrainians the same loyal attitude towards their country; you see how today they take risks and give their lives for their ideals, values, and people. I think it is very close to you, and that is why we feel your support today," said the head of the Office of the President.
He recalled the words of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who expressed strong support for Ukraine during the G7 leaders' meeting.
Yermak, who oversees negotiations on security guarantees for our country, noted that there were signals from Japan about interest in joining the negotiation process.
"We would be happy if Japan were among those countries that would become guarantors of our future security," he said.
The head of the President's Office emphasized the importance of the de-occupation of all territories of Ukraine that belong to it per international law. According to him, today, Ukraine not only defends its independence and territorial integrity but also defends the fundamental principles of democracy and international law. That is why the support of our country from the world community is vital for our victory in the war with russia. It is also crucial for the world to understand that if Ukrainian borders are not defended today, a similar situation may arise in other countries tomorrow.
"For five months now, the Ukrainian people have demonstrated the strength of resistance and the ability to fight, so helping Ukraine today and supporting it is an investment in the future, in security, in the fact that you can calmly drink coffee in Paris or Berlin and live peacefully in many European capitals states and not only. If today Ukraine will not stop russia, why should russia stop somewhere else? They will see that the world cannot stop them," Yermak added.
The Chief-of-Staff drew attention to the fact that Ukraine still lacked weapons. Still, the partners clearly understand what and when the Ukrainian army needs to effectively fight against the russian aggressor.
Yermak also emphasized the importance of continuing the policy of sanctions because the russian federation uses all opportunities to put pressure on the world and blackmail, in particular by provoking food and energy crises.
The head of the President's Office expressed his belief that it was necessary to show people what rampant brutality leads to and to demonstrate that punishment for it will be inevitable.
