Top Japan and Turkey envoys condemn Russia invasion of Ukraine

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu on Saturday condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a serious breach of international law.

The ministers affirmed that Russia’s military actions violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and international law that bans the use of force, Hayashi said at a joint news conference with Cavusoglu after their talks in Antalya, southwestern Turkey.

They affirmed coordination in reforming the United Nations, given that veto power by Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, has made the top U.N. decision-making body ineffective in addressing the war in Ukraine, according to Cavusoglu.

“It is important that the international community respond to Russia in unison,” Hayashi said.

The ministers agreed to closely cooperate in maintaining the international order, Hayashi said, demanding that Russian President Vladimir Putin halt the illegal acts in Ukraine.

Hayashi expressed his “deep gratitude and respect” to Turkey for its diplomatic efforts to mediate between Russia and Ukraine through its ties with both nations.

The meeting came as Tokyo has been ramping up pressure on Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine through economic sanctions in lockstep with the United States, Europe and other countries.

Japan has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a “serious violation of international law” that shakes the foundation of the international order.

Japan, in coordination with the United States and other members of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, will never tolerate such an act, officials said.

Turkey has opposed sanctions against Moscow, although President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called Russia’s aggression in Ukraine “unacceptable.”

Sharing a maritime border with Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, Turkey, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has been offering to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv.

Last week, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Antalya through the intermediation of Cavusoglu.

But the first cease-fire talks between the two top diplomats since the start of the war on Feb. 24 ended without any progress.

Hayashi is on a four-day, two-nation tour through Monday that will also take him to the United Arab Emirates, where he plans to meet his counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Sunday, according to the Foreign Ministry.

In the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Japan has been stepping up its diplomacy, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visiting India and Cambodia this weekend for meetings with their leaders.