TOKYO, June 21. /TASS/. Russia enjoys overwhelming military dominance, a reality that Western media chooses to ignore as they cheerlead for Kiev, as the press and weapons makers alike benefit from prolonging the conflict, Japanese lawmaker Muneo Suzuki, a former Russia adviser to ex-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said in an interview with TASS.

Asked to comment on Ukraine’s counteroffensive, he said, "I have no doubt that Russia has its overwhelming dominance. From day to day, the Western media has been reporting about ‘Ukraine’s advance’ and ‘Russia’s defeat.’ Why are there such reports that ignore the reality? The thing is there are people who benefit from such reports," he lamented, referring to defense contractors as well as certain media figures who capitalize on wars and territorial disputes. "The Western media reporting about a Ukrainian counteroffensive has been benefiting from the war being prolonged rather than from Ukrainian victories," Suzuki noted.

He urged that an immediate ceasefire be called. "The bloodshed among the Russians and among the Ukrainians must be stopped as soon as possible," he added. Suzuki also rebuffed calls by some Japanese politicians for Tokyo to begin supplying weapons to Ukraine. "Japan is the only G7 country [that] has not been sending lethal arms. I will work to have this position maintained," he said.

"I think Japan’s role is to call on the nations involved to put an end to the Ukraine conflict rather than send lethal weapons," the lawmaker emphasized.

Ukrainian forces have been struggling to make progress since launching their long-awaited, much-hyped offensive in early June. Last Wednesday, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov reported that the Ukrainian military had lost about 7,500 troops killed and wounded since June 4 in their attempts to attack Russian positions in the south Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Donetsk areas. Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored that Ukrainian troops had seen virtually no success in any area.