Tokyo, Sept. 16 (Jiji Press)–Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Eisuke Mori, speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives, the lower chamber of parliament, discussed energy support for Ukraine at their meeting in Kyiv on Tuesday, the presidential office said. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Japan’s consistent support for Ukraine since Russia started to invade the neighboring country in 2022, particularly welcoming Tokyo’s participation in the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, NATO’s framework for procuring defense equipment for Ukraine. The president also invited Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to visit Ukraine. Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit in August to one of the northwestern Pacific islands at the center of a long-standing territorial spat between Tokyo and Moscow, Zelenskyy emphasized his support for Japan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Mori responded that Japan always supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence. He arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Monday and addressed the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, on Tuesday. According to the secretariat of Japan’s Lower House, Mori is the first parliamentary chief of the country to visit Ukraine since Russia launched the invasion. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
