- ARAB NEWS
- 02 May 2024
Since 1975
TOKYO: Japanese Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa summoned Russian Ambassador to Japan Mikhail Galuzin on Thursday to strongly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow should “stop the invasion immediately and pull (its troops) back to Russia,” Hayashi told Galuzin.
“Any change to the status quo by force is absolutely unacceptable,” Hayashi said. He also demanded that Russia ensure the safety of citizens in Ukraine including Japanese nationals.
Galuzin denied there has been any invasion by Russia, claiming that it was a special military operation decided by President Vladimir Putin.
He warned that Japanese sanctions on Russia will negatively affect the two countries’ negotiations to solve their territorial issue over the four Russian-held islands known in Japan as the Northern Territories.
JIJI Press
