The White House announced on the 10th (local time) that President Joe Biden would visit Poland on the 20th and 22nd to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which faces the border with Ukraine, is playing a role as a hub for Western arms support to Ukraine as a front line in Eastern Europe.
President Biden’s visit to Poland has been 11 months since March last year, immediately after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. At the time, President Biden visited the US military base in Poland, called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “butcher” and criticized him for “no longer staying in power,” emphasizing the need for support for Ukraine.
President Biden’s visit to Poland is interpreted as emphasizing the need for unity in the West amid growing fatigue in support of Ukraine in the US and Europe in the first year of the war. The US Republican Party hinted at the possibility of reducing aid to Ukraine. In addition, Germany recently exposed its differences with other NATO member countries over the support of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden (center) clenches his fists after giving his second State of the Union speech after taking office at the Washington Congress on the 7th. On this day, he wore a blue tie symbolizing the ruling Democratic Party and focused on economic performance. Vice President Kamala Harris (left) and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of the opposition Republican Party applaud and watch. Washington = AP NewsisAt the same time, Russia, which is preparing for a grand offensive in the spring, is raising the level of nuclear threats, and there is also a paving stone to ease the security insecurity of NATO member countries in Eastern Europe.
Spokesman Kerin Janpierre said, “President Biden will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda to discuss cooperation plans to support Ukraine and strengthen NATO deterrence.” He will also meet with the heads of the Bucharest Nine, a security cooperation group of Eastern European countries, including Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and the three Baltic countries, and give a speech on the first anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
President Biden pointed out in an interview with the US public broadcaster PBS on the 7th that if support for Ukraine decreases, it will be difficult to prevent Russia from expanding its influence in Eastern Europe. President Biden criticized, “What (the Republican Party) will do if Ukraine falls into the hands of Russia and Russia moves beyond Ukraine to Belarus and other places.”
The Japanese government strongly criticizes Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and is providing economic sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine, centering on joint action with the G7.
Japan also provided Russia with financial support of $600 million and emergency humanitarian aid worth $500 million over the past year, as well as defense military items such as drones, bulletproof vests, and helmets. At a cabinet meeting on the 10th, the Japanese government finalized the amendment to the related law so that the World Bank can donate Japanese government bonds to the new fund and provide cash if necessary.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida considered a plan to visit Ukraine at the beginning of the year to express his will to support Ukraine. However, considering the war situation and safety issues, the Asahi Shimbun recently reported that he is considering meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in New York as an alternative.
In particular, Japan is strongly concerned with the possibility of China’s military invasion of Taiwan following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At the end of last year, three major security documents, including the national security strategy, were revised for the purpose of countering China under the position that ‘Taiwan similarities are similar to Japan’.
Based on the strong support of the United States, Japan has declared that it possesses the ability to attack enemy bases, and has maintained total defense for more than 70 years since its defeat in World War II. took measures to virtually neutralize it.
For this reason, it is evaluated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine served as a decisive opportunity for Japan’s movement to expand its armaments and become a military powerhouse that it longed for.
According to a Nihon Keizai Shimbun poll last month, 83% of respondents said they felt anxious about Japan being attacked by other countries. It is affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China’s military pressure, and North Korea’s nuclear missile development. Japan is developing a new missile with a range of more than 1,000 km, while also purchasing US Tomahawk missiles.
Prime Minister Kishida said, “Russia is repeating grave violations of international law, including the killing of innocent civilians.” Prime Minister Kishida also mentioned that “to protect Japan’s peace and security, we have decided to fundamentally strengthen our defense capabilities by establishing a new national security strategy.” In a joint statement from the US-Japan summit held at the White House in January this year, US President Biden said, “I commend Japan’s bold leadership to fundamentally strengthen its defense capabilities and diplomatic efforts.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.