EU-Japan: strong condemnation of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Michel (European Council) in Hiroshima tomorrow to send “message of peace”

“The EU and Japan demand that Russia immediately stop its military aggression in the territory of Ukraine, immediately and unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders”. This is stated in the joint statement issued at the end of the EU-Japan Summit in Tokyo. Full support for Ukraine, commitment to working “together with the international community, in global and multilateral fora, to address and mitigate these negative global impacts caused by the aggression”, and condemnation of “the role of the Lukashenko regime in Belarus” are reaffirmed in the document that also takes a critical stance on North Korea, Hong Kong and China, and other ongoing conflicts around the world: “We will seek close coordination between the EU, Japan and the US on global and regional issues”. The EU and Japan – which together account for a quarter of the world’s GDP – will also cooperate to “keep global energy markets stable and help ensure each other’s security of supply” particularly of gas, as well as to “accelerate the energy transition”. President Charles Michel praised the outcome of the Summit: “The EU and Japan are truly like-minded partners”, he said. The President will be in Hiroshima tomorrow to pay tribute to the victims of the atomic bomb: “in the light of the war in Ukraine, this will be an important moment to send a powerful message of peace and of hope”.
Valentina Bombelli