KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥 Japan's foreign minister arrived in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss North Korea鈥檚 deepening military alliance with Russia, including the deployment of thousands of troops to support Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Takeshi Iwaya will meet his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, to reaffirm Japan鈥檚 鈥渟trong support鈥 for Ukraine against Russia鈥檚 invasion and to discuss further sanctions against Moscow, Japan's Foreign Ministry said.
High on the agenda was Tokyo鈥檚 鈥済rave concern鈥 over growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, the ministry said.
According to U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments, up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia as part of Last week, Ukrainian officials said Ukraine and North Korean troops engaged in while Ukraine鈥檚 army fired artillery at North Korean soldiers in , where Ukraine on Aug. 6.
Sybiha said Saturday that Ukraine鈥檚 intelligence services believe that Pyongyang is aiding Moscow鈥檚 invasion in return for access to Russian missile, nuclear, and other military programs.
鈥淭he deepening military-technical cooperation between Russia, North Korea and Iran poses a direct threat not only to Europe but also to Southeast Asia and the Middle East,鈥 he said at a joint press conference alongside Iwaya.
鈥淥nly strong and systematic support for Ukraine can stop Russia and bring a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace.鈥
Sybiha also said that the pair had discussed Japan鈥檚 involvement in implementing a 鈥渧ictory plan and peace formula鈥 for Ukraine.
It coincides with a new interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told journalists at Ukrainian Radio that he would do everything 鈥渢o end this war next year through diplomatic means.鈥
New focus has been placed on potential future negotiations following Donald Trump鈥檚 victory in the U.S. presidential election on Nov 5.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also held their first phone call in nearly two years Friday.
But Zelenskyy warned that increased Russian willingness to engage in talks did not mean that Moscow truly wants to end the war, and urged the United States to maintain its position that the Kremlin had violated both Ukraine鈥檚 territorial integrity and international law.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think Putin wants peace at all. But that does not mean that he doesn't want to sit down with world leaders,鈥 Zelenskyy said Saturday.
鈥淔or him, it destroys the political isolation that's been built since the beginning of the war. And it benefits him to sit down, talk, and not reach an agreement.鈥
Russia strikes Kyiv in a wave of drone attacks
The Ukrainian capital was attacked overnight by Russian drones, damaging residential buildings and infrastructure in Kyiv鈥檚 Obolon district. No casualties were reported.
Ukrainian air defenses neutralized up to a dozen drones, said the head of Kyiv鈥檚 military administration, Serhii Popko.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 83 Shahed drones in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Ukrainian air force reported. Of those, 55 were shot down, while another 30 veered off course or were lost after electronic jamming, it said.
Meanwhile, Russia鈥檚 Ministry of Defense said that it had destroyed 35 Ukrainian drones, including 20 over the western Kursk region and 11 over the Bryansk region.
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Associated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, contributed to this report.
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