Japan’s PM offers Ukraine support as China’s Xi backs Russia

By KARL RITTER
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — 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. Xi is in Moscow to show support for Russia against the West over the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. The two visits highlighted the nearly 13-month-old war’s repercussions for international diplomacy as countries line up behind either Moscow or Kyiv. They follow a week in which China and Japan both enjoyed diplomatic successes that have emboldened their foreign policy. After talks with Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin said a Chinese peace plan could provide a basis for a settlement in Ukraine, although the West already has criticized it.