16:59 JST, June 16, 2024
ZURICH โ Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivered a speech on Saturday at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, an international conference to discuss a peace plan proposed by Ukraine, held in Burgenstock, Switzerland. Kishida said the plan for peace in Ukraine โshould not justify unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force.โ
Kishida emphasized that achieving a โfair and lasting peaceโ based on the principles of international law is โsymbolically important in leading the entire international community towards a world of cooperation instead of division and conflict.โ He urged world leaders gathered at the conference to “take the lead in showing leadership.”
Kishida explained that since the Kremlin began its aggression against Ukraine, Japan has imposed strict sanctions on Russia and provided strong support to Ukraine in the belief that โtoday’s Ukraine could be tomorrow’s East Asia.โ He further stated: โWe will continue our efforts, in close cooperation with the international community, to restore peace to the beautiful country of Ukraine.โ
Kishida also spoke about a meeting he had in Italy on Thursday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, mentioning that they had signed a bilateral document outlining Japan’s long-term support measures for Ukraine. He also recalled that at the G7 summit in Hiroshima last May, world leaders had reaffirmed four key principles, including “respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.”