KYIV, Ukraine — On Saturday, Japan’s foreign minister, Takeshi Iwaya, arrived in Kyiv to address the escalating military partnership between North Korea and Russia, which includes the deployment of a significant number of troops to aid Moscow’s ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Iwaya is set to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, to express Japan’s unwavering support for Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion and to explore the possibility of implementing further sanctions against Moscow, as indicated by the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
A primary focus of the talks will be Japan’s serious apprehensions regarding the increasing military collaboration between North Korea and Russia, the ministry elaborated.
Intelligence reports from the United States, South Korea, and Ukraine suggest that as many as 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been dispatched to Russia as part of a significant defense treaty between the two nations. According to Ukrainian officials, there were recent instances of skirmishes involving North Korean troops, where Ukrainian artillery targeted North Korean forces in Russia’s Kursk border area during a surprise offensive launched by Ukraine on August 6.
Under the terms of this agreement, both nations are obligated to employ all available resources to ensure immediate military support if either side comes under attack.
Iwaya’s arrival follows a series of drone assaults on Kyiv, with Russian drones inflicting damage on residential structures and infrastructure in the Obolon district. Fortunately, there were no reports of casualties from these attacks.
Ukrainian air defense systems successfully intercepted approximately a dozen drones, as reported by Serhii Popko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration.
In the early hours of Saturday, Russia launched an offensive using 83 Shahed drones, according to the Ukrainian air force. Out of these, 55 were neutralized, while around 30 either went off course or were disabled due to electronic interference.
Concurrently, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed to have taken down 35 Ukrainian drones, including 20 over the western region of Kursk and 11 over Bryansk.
