Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a surprise visit to Ukraine early on Tuesday, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in neighboring Russia for a three-day visit.
The Japanese leader, the first to visit a warzone since World War Two, will meet President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital in a summit that directly coincides with longtime rivals holding crunch talks in Moscow.
Mr Kishida will show his “absolute rejection of Russia’s one-sided change to the status quo by invasion and force,” during his visit to Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in announcing his trip to Kyiv.
Japan, which has territorial disputes over islands with both China and Russia, is particularly concerned about the close relationship between Beijing and Moscow, which have conducted joint military exercises near Japan’s coasts.
08:54 AM
Chinese state media responds to President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia is being hailed in Chinese state media as a way to uphold “true multilateralism,” a jab to the West as Beijing seeks to paint the US as a domineering bully, writes Sophia Yan.
China has used the trip to capitalise on its self-professed “neutral” stance, and to continue blaming the US for fanning the flames of war.
For Beijing, this is another opportunity to reframe itself as the arbiter of peace, even as Mr Xi proclaims closer ties with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.
“The world has suffered terribly because of an egoistic and self-serving United States,” reads state media commentary. “Because of the conflict, the Ukrainians have lost hugely.”
The piece goes on to accuse the US of opposing a ceasefire, which has wreaked havoc on the world with food, energy and financial crises.
“To be a responsible major country, the United States should stop being the destroyer of peace and creator of crisis, shift to the right side of history, and help bring this disaster to an end.”
Another piece reads:
“The only one who can solve the problem is the one who created the problem in the first place. The key to solving the Ukrainian crisis is not in the hands of China, but in the hands of the United States and the West.”
It continues:
“If the United States and the West sincerely hope that China will continue to play a constructive role, they should support and cooperate with China’s efforts, stop behind-the-scenes manipulation, stop adding fuel to the fire, stop transferring contradictions, stop slandering China and even threaten sanctions on China.”
08:40 AM
Japan’s PM visits Kyiv amid fears Russian victory could embolden China
The visit to Kyiv by Japan’s PM reflects growing fears in the Indo-Pacific that a Russian victory in Ukraine could embolden China, writes Nicola Smith, Asia Correspondent.
Japan’s show of “unwavering support” for Ukraine comes against a backdrop of anxiety in Asia that a win for Putin could inspire China to make an aggressive move to advance its own territorial ambitions, or even try to seize democratic Taiwan, drawing neighbouring nations into the fight.
“Ukraine may be the East Asia of tomorrow,” Mr Kishida warned in January as his country took up the rotating presidency of the G-7 major powers. His government has since pledged $5.5 billion in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, quadrupling its previous contributions.
Mr Kishida’s visit follows a trip to New Delhi, where he announced a new plan to invest $75 billion in the Indo-Pacific. This move, alongside warming ties with South Korea, and a sharp increase in Japan’s defence budget, fits a pattern of policies widely seen as an attempt to counter China’s regional influence.
It comes as Japan is gravitating away from its pacifist postwar stance, with Mr Kishida becoming the first PM to visit a warzone since World War Two.
08:32 AM
Hungary vetoes EU statement in praise ICC arrest warrant against Putin
Hungary blocked European Union member states from issuing a joint statement about the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin.
Instead, Josep Borrell, the EU’s top foreign diplomat, issued the statement in his own name.
“The EU sees the decision by the ICC as a beginning of the process of accountability and holding Russian leaders to account for the crimes and atrocities they are ordering, enabling, or committing in Ukraine,” Mr Borrell wrote.
Budapest also did not join 26 EU justice ministers in signing a statement supporting the ICC’s investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports.
08:22 AM
Putin and Xi to sign more than 10 documents to foster relations between Moscow and Beijing
Presidents Putin and Xi on Tuesday will sign more than 10 documents to foster relations between Russia and Moscow.
On the second day of the Chinese leader’s state visit to the Russian capital, the pair will discuss “energy, military-technical cooperation, trade and economic cooperation”, according to Russian state media.
After talks at the Kremlin Palace, the leaders will issue states, followed by a gala state banquet.
President Xi is also expected to meet with Russian prime minister Mikhail Mishustin.
07:56 AM
Analysis: Why Xi can’t solve Putin’s Ukraine problem
Vladimir Putin has bet his own and his country’s future on starting the biggest war in Europe for generations, writes Roland Oliphant.
Xi Jinping, probably the second most powerful individual on the planet, could have a profound influence on its outcome.
But can he end it? And does he really want to?
Read more here
07:40 AM
Ukraine waiting for confirmation of Zelensky call with China’s Xi, say reports
Kyiv is waiting to hear if a call will take place between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in an interview published on Tuesday.
“I don’t know, we are waiting for confirmation,” Vereshchuk said when asked whether a call between the two leaders will take place. “That would be an important move. They have things to say to each other,” Vereshchuk told the Corriere della Sera Italian daily.
07:39 AM
Ukraine in pictures
07:35 AM
Latest MoD update
07:28 AM
Russian cruise missiles destroyed in strike in drone strike on train in Crimea
Ukraine’s defence ministry said on Monday that an explosion in Dzhankoi in the north of the Crimean peninsula destroyed Russian cruise missiles intended for use by the Kremlin’s Black Sea fleet.
It said the missiles, designed to be launched from surface ships, had an operational range of more than 2,500km (1,550 miles) on land and 375km at sea.
“An explosion in Dzhankoi city in the north of temporarily occupied Crimea destroyed Russian Kalibr-KN cruise missiles as they were being transported by rail,” the ministry’s main intelligence directorate said in social media posts.
Read the full story here
07:26 AM
Good morning
Good morning and welcome to today’s Ukraine liveblog.
We will be guiding you through all the latest developments on Ukraine.