Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told his fellow leaders from the Group of Seven nations on Monday that they should be united in bringing peace to war-torn Ukraine, he said after attending a virtual meeting to mark three years since Russia's invasion began.
Speaking to reporters, Ishiba said he told the session that the G7 should be careful that the peace process leaves no room for the "wrong lesson" that it is possible to change the status quo by force, and he hoped that diplomatic efforts, including those being made by the United States, will bear fruit to help end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his "strong" hope for continued support from the G7, according to Ishiba. The group also includes Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and the United States, plus the European Union.
The meeting comes as the return of U.S. President Donald Trump for a nonconsecutive second term in the White House tests the unity of the G7, which has so far stood firmly behind Ukraine and punished Russia by enforcing a slew of sanctions to hit Moscow's war chest.
The Trump administration is ratcheting up its pressure on Ukraine as it seeks to reach a mineral deal with Kyiv in return for U.S. aid. In recent days, Trump has criticized Zelenskyy, calling him a "dictator."
In the meantime, Washington is perceived to be warming to Moscow, with the two recently launching direct bilateral talks toward ending the conflict without the participation of Kyiv.
The prolonged war has also sent ripples through Europe and the Indo-Pacific, where China's growing assertiveness has been a concern.
During Monday's meeting, Ishiba, who previously sounded the alarm by saying that what is happening in Ukraine today can happen in Asia tomorrow, said the security of Europe is "inseparable" from that of Asia.
He revealed that he "strongly condemned" deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, given that North Korean troops have been participating in the war in Ukraine.
"I said (during the meeting) that the G7 should remain united to realize a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and Japan will continue to support Ukraine and maintain sanctions on Russia," Ishiba said.
© KYODO
15 Comments
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TaiwanIsNotChina
What would also help is enforcing sanctions again russia...
quercetum
The war is coming to an end. The U.S. decides not anyone else.
HopeSpringsEternal
Unity hasn't worked, no effort for Peace Talks since Feb 2022. What's needed is leadership. G-7 has totally re-aligned recently politically for several reasons, including failure to achieve Peace Talks in Ukraine.
DJT elected to stabilize world, and that means ending the Ukraine Proxy War ASAP. Other G-7 Members, Biden Admin and Ukraine have no 'cards', just failure.
TaiwanIsNotChina
As you say, Trump has all of the cards, so if russia is in Odessa in four years time, everything is on him.
ALmost
Perhaps 100% correct in this respect. However, if "peace" is artificially forced onto the victimized nation on the terms of the aggressor then we the "free world" are giving up everything we believe in and are handing over unchecked future powers for aggression to the leaders of nations who are hungry only for one thing, absolute power over everyone at no matter the cost.
The current US administration will give the USA a humongous black eye in the history books and will tarnish their children's futures for a long time to come with this kind of short-sighted thinking. In the name of blindly following your "great leader" you may very well be doing your own, our own country, a monumental disservice. Please try to read and listen to the others' viewpoints rather than always only the ones you "know" are speaking the truth. The citizens of Russia no longer have that freedom. Let's be very careful not to follow in the wrong footsteps.
HopeSpringsEternal
If Germany and France can recover from WWII, then Russia and Ukraine can as well, but it will take time and good behavior on both sides to do so AND not allowing outside disruptors with their 'regime change agenda'!
rocketpig
Yes it's important to change positions and follow Trumps lead. Otherwise unity cracks will emerge and others will doubt G7
OssanAmerica
If so, the same must hold true for a free and open Indo-Pacific. The US decides not anyone else.
Kuribozu
In light of the US's latest vote in the UN siding with Russia (and China, North Korea, Belarus, etc.), the rest of the civilized world has to realize that Trump has gone over to the Russian side. He is abandoning the post-WWII framework among the free nations that has kept the peace, and protected free nations from ruthless aggression by brutal dictators like Putin. The US may rise up and throw off the corrupt, immoral Trump regime when Americans come to their senses, but until that happens we're on our own.
Cephus
It's laughable when people claim President DJT is on the Russian side. Frankly, he is not in either side but taking over and ending this atrocious war, which the world failed to do for the past 2 years.
HopeSpringsEternal
That's right Cephus, but the true costs and risks of this proxy war go FAR beyond just the direct combatants.
Entire world's paying a Heavy Price in terms of economic and geopolitical damage, DJT knows it and that's another reason he's so motivated to achieve PEACE.
Kuribozu
CephusToday 11:16 am JST
It's laughable when people claim President DJT is on the Russian side.
Well he's not on Ukraine's side. He belittles and insults Zelensky, the democratically elected leader of a democracy, while trying to extort trillions of dollars from a war-shattered Ukraine, and while simultaneously slobbering all over Putin -- the ruthless dictator and murderer of journalists and rivals of all stripes, who's now into his 3rd decade of one-man rule over an increasingly dystopian Russia. But you go ahead and keep laughing.
kurisupisu
Actually,the war, by some accounts is far longer than the major apparent battlefield hostilities of the last 3 years…
itsonlyrocknroll
Don't sneer at Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Ishiba as a global leader, has enough influence to be heard and respected.
JJE
Nothing 'prolonged' about this war by any on-switch measure. Almost 20 in Afghan, similar for Iraq. Vietnam didn't really escalate till 65 with the troops departing in 73.
This conflict is actually quite young. There is still plenty of time for western politicians to make bad decisions.
Fortunately, the current admin in DC doesn't replicate the last, which almost caused WWIII.