TOKYO, January 22. /TASS/. Japan’s attempts to threaten Russia in the context of the situation around Ukraine with some "decisive actions in close coordination with the US and other allies" are unacceptable, senseless and counterproductive for the atmosphere of Russian-Japanese relations, a statement by the Russian Embassy in Japan made public on Saturday said.
"We reviewed with puzzlement the reports that at the Japan-US summit yesterday, the Japanese side attempted to threaten Russia with some ‘strong actions,’ ‘in close coordination with the US and other allies’ at that, in the Ukrainian context. The inadmissibility and senselessness of such statements, as well as their counterproductiveness for the atmosphere of Russian-Japanese relations and dialogue are obvious," the statement published on the embassy’s Facebook page said. The Russian diplomatic agency also advised the Japanese side to "read deeper into the essence of Russian initiatives on mutual security guarantees with the US and NATO" as well as to "impartially assess the aggressive activity of the North Atlantic Alliance on its eastward expansion right up to Russian borders and the military colonization of the territory of neighboring" Ukraine.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden agreed to continue close cooperation on the situation around Ukraine at their video conference on Friday. As the head of Japan’s government told journalists following these talks, the sides "confirmed the necessity to continue close cooperation directed at the deterrence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine." The Japanese prime minister also stressed that both leaders confirmed that the US and its partners and allies would continue close cooperation on the issue of the "decisive response to any aggression" against Ukraine.
Lately, in the West and Ukraine, the claims of an alleged possible Russian "invasion" into Ukrainian territory are being touted increasingly more often. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov branded such information as the empty and groundless escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia does not represent a threat to anyone. That said, he didn’t exclude the possibility of provocations being whipped up in order to justify such claims and warned that attempts to resolve the problem in southeastern Ukraine through the use of force would have the most serious consequences. According to him, Moscow is doing everything possible to help Kiev settle the Donbass conflict while adhering to the Normandy format and the Minsk Accords.