Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan: Any Peace Agreement Must include Ukraine; Korsunsky Praises Ishiba Remarks at G7 Meeting

By Yuichi Negi / Japan News Staff Writer

10:28 JST, February 26, 2025

Any ceasefire or peace agreement must be coordinated with Ukraine and a security guarantee must be included, Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Korsunsky said at a press conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump is feared to be sidelining Ukraine while attempting to conclude a ceasefire deal with Russia.

“There are different scenarios of ceasefire or peace settlement. But whatever we are going to accept, first must be closely coordinated with us and second must include security guarantees,” Korsunsky said.

To guarantee the security of Ukraine, the ambassador said, “The cheapest, simplest and most transparent way is [the] accession of Ukraine to NATO.”

Trump has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of being a “dictator without elections.” The ambassador said at the press conference that elections cannot be held when martial law is imposed in the country.

The U.N. refugee agency estimates 10.6 million Ukrainians have been displaced by Russia’s aggression, with 6.9 million living abroad. Under such circumstances, Korsunsky said it is impossible for everyone to freely participate in the election.

“That is why: First peace, then elections. They’re going to happen, no doubt about that,” the ambassador said.

Mineral resources in Ukraine are a key issue in discussions between the United States and Ukraine. Korsunsky said it is premature to talk about any mineral agreement but said: “It is only clear that we would welcome foreign investments and companies from the United States to come to Ukraine and to explore the opportunity to get all those rare earth materials and to process them. And what we would like to see is the production of end products.”

The ambassador expressed his gratitude for Japan’s diplomatic efforts.

He stressed the importance of the remarks by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba about Russia’s aggression in Ukraine made at a video conference of Group of Seven leaders. Ishiba said that Japan would like to cooperate with G7 members to avoid the wrong precedent being set.

“I sincerely hope that we will see development of [Japan-Ukraine] bilateral relations, which definitely deserve a strategic level,” Korsunsky said.

He also expressed his hope for major Japanese companies to expand their business in Ukraine.

Regarding the reconstruction process, which Japan could play a role in, he referred to Japan’s experience following World War II and natural disasters. “Japan is an unquestionable leader in experience of reconstruction. You have done it many times in the past 100 years,” he said.