Japan's PM Fumio Kishida plans phone call with Putin amid Russia-Ukraine border conflict

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine border conflict, Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Russian President Vladimir Putin are planning a telephonic conversation. The call can possibly take place later on Thursday, Kyodo news reported citing a source familiar with the situation.

"A tense situation persists, and anything could happen. Japan must strive to ease tensions through diplomatic means," Kishida stated at a meeting of his Liberal Democratic Party faction on Thursday, Kyodo news reported.

"If we condone the use of force to change the status quo, it will have an influence on Asia as well," Kishida continued. Earlier this week, Kishida spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm Japan's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of a Russian military buildup near the country, and the two leaders pledged to work hard to defuse tensions diplomatically.

The scheduled telephonic conversation between Kishida and Putin comes as the US and major European nations, notably France and Germany, have stepped up diplomatic efforts to prevent the situation from escalating further. According to people familiar with the idea, leaders from the Group of Seven industrialised nations are considering having a virtual summit on the crisis in Ukraine on February 24.

Russia-Ukraine conflict

Since Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's Kremlin-friendly president, was deposed by a popular uprising in 2014, Russia and Ukraine have been at odds. Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula and backed separatists in the east in retribution, killing nearly 14,000 people in the process. According to the Associated Press, a 2015 peace treaty sponsored by France and Germany ended large-scale battles, but periodic skirmishes between Russia and Ukraine have continued, and efforts to negotiate a political settlement have faltered.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on February 15 that some of its personnel stationed in Ukraine will return to their base locations. In reaction, United States' President Joe Biden stated that the US was closely monitoring the situation and that if Russia attempted to invade Ukraine, the US would strike hard. According to American assessments, the Russian military remained in a precarious situation, and the possibility of a Ukrainian invasion could not be ruled out.

(With inputs from agencies)

Image: AP