Japan has agreed to finance Ukraine this year to the tune of $4.5 billion (about 4.173 million euros) as part of a security and bilateral cooperation agreement signed this Thursday between the two countries.
This is the first agreement that Ukraine has signed with a partner outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
“The document establishes the main directions of long-term support for Japan in the field of security and defense, humanitarian assistance, recovery and reconstruction,” says the note from the Ukrainian presidency.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the G7 (group of seven most industrialized countries) summit, which takes place between this Thursday and Saturday in Italy.
As part of this 10-year pact, it is also planned to supply “non-lethal equipment” from Japan to Ukraine.
Japan also pledged to provide medical care to wounded Ukrainian soldiers, cooperate in protecting sensitive information, strengthen infrastructure defense and restoration, and promote cybersecurity.
Ukraine has relied on financial and military aid from Western allies since Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022.
It has already signed bilateral agreements with Portugal, the UK, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Latvia, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Japan.
Kyiv’s allies have also imposed sanctions on key sectors of the Russian economy in an attempt to reduce Moscow’s ability to finance military action in Ukraine.