A senior Ukrainian official has invited Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to visit Ukraine, conveying President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's wish to Japan's ambassador to the country in a meeting Wednesday, according to the president's office.

In the meeting with Ambassador Kuninori Matsuda, Andriy Yermak, head of the president's office, issued the invitation to visit at a time suitable after expressing Ukraine's appreciation for Japan's solidarity amid the war with Russia.

File photo shows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference in Lviv, western Ukraine, in August 2022. (Kyodo)

The office said Yermak congratulated Japan for assuming the chairmanship of the Group of Seven industrialized countries this year.

Yermak also expressed Kyiv's hopes for continued cooperation with the group, and said that regular dialogue between G-7 leaders and Zelenskyy is one of the most effective means for the international community to forge efforts to resist the Russian invasion.

Matsuda emphasized that Japan's position of supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and its territorial integrity is unchanged, said the office.

According to a German think tank, the value of Japan's support for Ukraine was the lowest among the G-7 nations between January and November 2022.

The G-7 nations also include Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United States.


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