Japan Donates 101 Off-road & Engineering Vehicles to Ukraine

Japan has delivered a shipment of 101 vehicles to Ukraine, including Toyota HMV and Mitsubishi Type 73 Kogata off-road vehicles, along with PC-065B tracked engineering vehicles.

The delivery, confirmed by the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, arrived in Poland on June 5 and was subsequently handed over to Ukrainian authorities.

The shipment is part of a decision made in May 2023 by Japan's Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces.

In addition to military support, the Japanese government is actively working on a new document with Ukraine that outlines economic measures aimed at supporting the reconstruction of the war-torn country. High-level talks between Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to take place on the sidelines of the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit. The summit, scheduled to begin on June 13 in Italy, will feature a session focused on the situation in Ukraine, to which Zelenskyy has been invited.

The delivery of these vehicles comes at a time of strained relations between Japan and Russia. On June 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the conditions are not currently favorable for resuming talks with Japan regarding a post-World War II peace treaty. He attributed the halt in negotiations to Japan's support for Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions on Russia, in coordination with the United States and other Western countries, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In March, Russia suspended peace pact negotiations with Japan, condemning Tokyo's actions as unfriendly and aligned with Western sanctions.