Japanese PM In Surprise Visit To Support Ukraine

JAPANESE Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has made a surprise visit to Kyiv, stealing some of the global attention from Asian rival President Xi Jinping of China, who is in Moscow to show support for Russia against the West over the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

The two visits, about 500 miles apart, highlighted the war's repercussions for international diplomacy as countries line up behind Moscow or Kyiv.

They follow a week in which China and Japan both enjoyed diplomatic successes that have emboldened their foreign policy.

Mr Kishida, who is to chair the G7 summit in May, was meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukrainian capital, coinciding with Mr Xi's talks with President Vladimir Putin.