【Check Against Delivery】 STATEMENT BY H.E. AMBASSADOR IWAMA KIMINORI, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Japan to the OSCE on “Russian Federation’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine” Special Permanent Council, OSCE 25 th August 2025 Thank you, Mr. Chair. On the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Ukraine and on behalf of my country Japan, I would like to say a few words at today’s Special Permanent Council Meeting. On this commemorative day for Ukraine, it is deeply regrettable that Russia's aggression against Ukraine has now been ongoing for more than three and a half years, with attacks continuing unabated. We remain gravely concerned by the tragic loss of life and the suffering caused by attacks on innocent civilians as well as civilian infrastructure. It is of utmost importance to achieve two goals: an early ceasefire and the realization of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. Mr. Chair, On 19 August, Prime Minister ISHIBA Shigeru attended the ‘Virtual Leaders Meeting of the Coalition of the Willing on Ukraine’ co-hosted by the governments of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. We welcome the fact that, as a result of vigorous discussions at the U.S.-Ukraine summit and subsequent talks involving European countries, a certain degree of common understanding has been reached regarding the way forward, with Ukraine's involvement and under the active initiative of the United States. Prime Minister ISHIBA emphasised at the Virtual Leaders Meeting the importance of maintaining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and stressed that unilateral changes to the status quo by force must never be accepted. The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document and circulates it without altering its content. The distribution by OSCE Conference Services of this document is without prejudice to OSCE decisions, as set out in documents agreed by OSCE participating States PC.DEL/850/2527 August 2025 ENGLISH only
Yesterday, during the G7 Foreign Ministers' Telephone Conference, discussions were held on the situation surrounding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the prospects for peace and the G7's response. The G7 Foreign Ministers strongly urged Russia to participate in peace negotiations in good faith and without preconditions. Based on our fundamental view that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a matter of global security, including in the Indo-Pacific region, Japan is actively participating in and engaging in these discussions. Mr. Chair, Japan remains determined to continue working closely with the international community to achieve Ukraine’s goals. In support of Ukraine, Japan has provided financial, humanitarian and other assistance totalling over 12 billion US dollars since March 2022, including through the Support Programme for Ukraine. On 22 and 23 October of this year, Japan, in cooperation with Ukraine, will host the “Ukraine Mine Action Conference” in Tokyo as an opportunity to finalise cooperation on mine action efforts. Ukraine is working tirelessly to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance that have contaminated its precious territory. The conference aims to enhance Ukraine's mine action capacity, which is essential for the country’s successful reconstruction and sustainable development. It aims to explore concrete ways to promote long-term international cooperation and partnership in the mine action sector in Ukraine. We are confident that this conference will further build on the momentum of the past conferences hosted by Croatia and Switzerland in 2023 and 2024 respectively, and look forward to active participation from your countries. Japan will continue to make every effort to promote Ukraine's economic growth and reconstruction, in close cooperation with international communities as well as the private sector, with a view to achieving its medium- to long-term recovery.
We continue to stand with the people of Ukraine. I thank you.