President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Ukraine Kuninori Matsuda before the end of his diplomatic mission, thanked him for his help to Ukraine and expressed hope for continued cooperation with the new ambassador and the new Prime Minister of the country.

“I would like to thank you for building strong relations between our two nations, countries and leaders. This is very important. Never before have our states had such close ties,” the press service quoted the head of the Ukrainian state on the official website on Wednesday.

It is reported that the President commended the important support provided by Japan and former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the country's Presidency of the G7 in 2023, which resulted in the adoption of important decisions for our state.

“This includes defense assistance, strengthening Ukraine's energy sector, humanitarian issues, and a major Ukraine-Japan conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine. Together we have done many things, and I thank you for that. I hope that we will continue this active dialogue with the new Japanese Government led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba,” the Head of State added.

Matsuda called the opportunity to work on strengthening relations between Ukraine and Japan an honor, noting that they now have prospects for the future.

It is reported that Zelenskyy awarded Matsuda with the Order of Merit, III class.