Japan Minister Visits Ukraine to Stress Shared Concerns Over North Korean Troops

Kyiv: Japan's foreign minister arrived in Kyiv on Saturday to discuss the growing military ties between North Korea and Russia, including the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to assist Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

Takeshi Iwaya is set to meet with Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha to reaffirm Japan's "strong support" for Ukraine and discuss additional sanctions on Russia, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

A key topic on the agenda was Tokyo's "grave concern" over the expanding military cooperation between North Korea and Russia, according to the ministry.

U.S., South Korean, and Ukrainian intelligence reports indicate that up to 12,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia under a major defense pact between the two countries. Last week, Ukrainian officials reported clashes between Ukrainian and North Korean troops, with Ukraine's forces firing artillery at North Korean soldiers in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise offensive on August 6.

Sybiha said Saturday that Ukraine's intelligence services believe that Pyongyang is aiding Moscow's invasion in return for access to Russian missile, nuclear, and other military programs.

“The deepening military-technical cooperation between Russia, North Korea and Iran poses a direct threat not only to Europe but also to Southeast Asia and the Middle East,” he said at a joint press conference alongside Iwaya.

“Only strong and systematic support for Ukraine can stop Russia and bring a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace.” Sybiha also said that the pair had discussed Japan's involvement in implementing a “victory plan and peace formula” for Ukraine.

It coincides with a new interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who told journalists at Ukrainian Radio that he would do everything “to end this war next year through diplomatic means.” New focus has been placed on potential future negotiations following Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election on Nov 5.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also held their first phone call in nearly two years Friday.

But Zelenskyy warned that increased Russian willingness to engage in talks did not mean that Moscow truly wants to end the war, and urged the United States to maintain its position that the Kremlin had violated both Ukraine's territorial integrity and international law.

“I don't think Putin wants peace at all. But that does not mean that he doesn't want to sit down with world leaders,” Zelenskyy said Saturday.

“For him, it destroys the political isolation that's been built since the beginning of the war. And it benefits him to sit down, talk, and not reach an agreement.” Russia strikes Kyiv in a wave of drone attacks The Ukrainian capital was attacked overnight by Russian drones, damaging residential buildings and infrastructure in Kyiv's Obolon district. No casualties were reported.

Ukrainian air defenses neutralized up to a dozen drones, said the head of Kyiv's military administration, Serhii Popko.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 83 Shahed drones in the early hours of Saturday morning, the Ukrainian air force reported. Of those, 55 were shot down, while another 30 veered off course or were lost after electronic jamming, it said.

Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Defense said that it had destroyed 35 Ukrainian drones, including 20 over the western Kursk region and 11 over the Bryansk region.

(with agency inputs)