Japan's support is very important and valuable for Ukraine in the fight against the Russian aggressor, because the Ukrainian and Japanese people share the courage and willingness to fight for their land. This was stated by Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak in an interview with Japan's largest national broadcaster, the NHK TV channel.
"We have known about the strengths of our nation for a long time. The most important thing is that the whole world knows about them today - how heroic and strong Ukrainians are and how they managed to show the whole world that we are not afraid, that we are ready to fight for our land, our freedom and independence," Andriy Yermak said.
He noted that these values are the basis that, in particular, unites the Ukrainian and Japanese nations.
"Among the Russians there are no real samurai, and among the Ukrainians, as it turned out, there are a lot of them. I think that support from Japan is strong today, because you see yourself in our struggle. You see in Ukrainians the same loyal attitude towards their country, you see how today they take risks, give their lives for their ideals, their values and their people. I think it is very close to you, and that is why we feel your support today," said the Head of the Office of the President.
He recalled the words of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who expressed strong support for Ukraine during the G7 leaders' meeting.
Andriy Yermak, who is in charge of negotiations on security guarantees for our country, noted that there were signals from Japan about interest in joining the negotiation process.
"We would be happy to see Japan among those countries that would become guarantors of our future security," he said.
The Head of the President's Office emphasized the importance of the de-occupation of all territories of Ukraine that belong to it in accordance with international law. According to him, Ukraine today defends not only its independence and territorial integrity, but also the fundamental principles of democracy and international law. That is why the support of our country from the world community is important for our victory in the war with Russia. It is also important for the world to understand: if Ukrainian borders are not defended today, a similar situation may arise in other countries tomorrow.
"For five months now, the Ukrainian people have demonstrated the strength of resistance and the ability to fight, so helping Ukraine today and supporting it is an investment in the future, in security, in the fact that you can calmly drink coffee in Paris or Berlin and live peacefully in many European and world capitals. If today Ukraine does not stop Russia, why should Russia stop somewhere else? They will see that the world cannot stop them," Andriy Yermak added.
The Head of the Office of the President drew attention to the fact that Ukraine still lacks weapons, but our partners clearly understand what the Ukrainian army needs to fight against the Russian aggressor effectively.
Andriy Yermak also emphasized the importance of continuing the sanctions policy, because the Russian Federation uses all opportunities to put pressure on the world and blackmail, in particular by provoking food and energy crises.
The Head of the President's Office expressed the belief that it is necessary to show people what uncontrolled brutality leads to, and to demonstrate that punishment for it will be inevitable.