Tokyo, 2 March, /AJMEDIA/
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Saturday that he will strive to avoid divisions between the United States, Ukraine and the Group of Seven nations, following a televised dispute between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The blow-up between Trump and Zelenskyy during their meeting in Washington on Friday was “a rather unexpected development,” Ishiba told reporters in Tokyo.
“Japan must do everything it can to prevent division between the United States, Ukraine and the Group of Seven nations,” he said.
With Zelenskyy pushing for concrete security commitments from the United States, Trump and Vice President JD Vance grew frustrated while listening to the Ukrainian leader’s remarks on the war and his skepticism about any dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“This is not something for which emotions should clash. Diplomacy backed by compassion and perseverance must be employed to achieve peace,” Ishiba said.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said earlier that Japan would monitor the situation with grave concern for realizing a just and lasting peace as soon as possible.
But the exchange has cast doubt on possible solutions for Russia’s war with Ukraine, with a Japanese government source expressing concern that the White House spectacle, which defied diplomatic conventions, “may delay the process toward a cease-fire.”
“This is a pattern we do not often see in diplomacy,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said. “Although the difference in positions has become clear, what must be done toward a cease-fire remains the same.”
Japan, along with other G7 members, has maintained its policy of continuing sanctions against Moscow and displaying support for Kyiv since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022.
The G7 comprises Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan and the United States, along with the European Union.