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Japan's Kishida Pledges Aid for Poland 03/22 06:12
WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Japan's prime minister pledged Wednesday to provide
Poland with development support to help the European country assist neighboring
Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia's invasion.
Polish Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hosted Japanese Prime
Minister Fumio Kishida in Warsaw a day after Kishida made a surprise visit to
Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Bearing in mind the increasing burden on Poland due to the prolonged
invasion of Ukraine," Kishida said Japan would offer Poland assistance to
support its role and is looking to "vigorously build up" projects.
Japan usually provides the type of promised aid to developing countries,
which Poland is no longer, but the Japanese government is making a special
exception, he said.
Kishida said it was crucial for like-minded countries such as Japan and
Poland, to remain united in their support for Ukraine and in furthering
sanctions against Russia.
During a joint news conference with Kishida, Morawiecki said that at the
time when a "new geo-political order" was emerging, both countries understand
the "threat to world peace coming from Russia's imperialism."
Poland has supplied military, humanitarian and political support to Ukraine
during the war that started 13 months ago.
Kishida, who is preparing to chair a Group of Seven summit in May, said
Japan would stress the need for continued cooperation with Poland and for
international backing for Ukraine.
Following talks with Morawiecki that went beyond their planned 30 minutes,
Kishida also said that Japan was interested in building closer ties with
regional alliances in central and eastern Europe, such as the nine NATO eastern
flank members, the Visegrad Group that includes Poland, The Czech Republic,
Slovakia and Hungary, and countries participating in the Three Seas economic
initiative.
Kishida later met later with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Kishida visited Ukraine on Tuesday while Chinese leader President Xi Jinping
held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two visits
showing how various countries are lining up behind Moscow or Kyiv.
Morawiecki said the Chinese leader's visit to Moscow raised "anxiety."
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