Ukraine and Japan sign special partnership declaration in Kiev

MOSCOW. March 22 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida signed a declaration on a special global partnership between the two countries in Kiev on Tuesday.

"This document reflects the values that we defend and our aspirations that have yet to be realized," Ukrainian media quoted Kishida as saying after signing the document.

Zelensky invited Japan to focus on rebuilding Ukraine's automobile sector and on green energy projects as part of the Fast Recovery Plan for Ukraine, the prime minister said.

"This will create new avenues for developing our and Japanese societies, our and Japanese economies. I have invited Japan to focus on restoring certain sectors of the economy - the automobile industry, green transformation, including the production of hydrogen equipment and lithium batteries - the fields where Japan is one of the technological leaders," Zelensky said at a press conference with Kishida in Kiev.

Japan was also asked to extend assistance to medical establishments in Ukraine, he said.

Ukraine and Japan have enormous opportunities for cooperation thanks to their strong technological potential, Zelensky said.

"Japan has made a decision to allocate $470 million in unilateral grant assistance, including for the energy sector and other industries, as well as $30 million in assistance for supplies of nonlethal weapons via the NATO trust fund," Kishida said.

Japan is committed to supporting Ukraine further, he said.