Alyona Getmanchuk, Director of the New Europe Center, adressed the participants at the opening of the V Ukraine-Japan Forum, “Enhancing special global partnership. Ukraine and Japan on the way to victory and just peace”:

By opening one door with Japan, Ukraine is actually opening three doors – to the G7, to Asia, and to certain countries of the so-called Global South. During the years of full-scale war, Japan has repeatedly demonstrated that it is the largest natural ally in Asia, one of the most reliable partners in the G7, and an important bridge to certain countries of the Global South.

From distant Japan, we feel more support and rejection of negative scenarios for Ukraine in the context of ending the war than we see and feel in some European countries. Although the war has long been waged not only in Europe, but also against Europe.

Japan is one of those unique partner countries that does more than publicly declares it.

Japan has repeatedly supported Ukraine at times when support from other partners was delayed on the road or in Congress.  

Today, when the core of our partnership since 2014 – the rules-based international order – is being dismantled before our eyes, when the idea of alliances is being devalued, when some countries are forced to choose between security guarantees and the values of freedom and democracy, and when Russia’s war against Ukraine has long since become a war that the Kremlin is able to continue at this level only through increased cooperation with Iran, North Korea, and China, we need even more support and even closer partnership with Japan. This includes partnership in the security and defense sphere.

Video recordings of the forum are available in Ukrainian and English.

Read more about previous forums here.