Japan’s Kishida pledges aid for Ukraine-backing Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Japan’s prime minister has pledged to provide Poland with development support to help the European country assist neighboring Ukraine as it defends itself from Russia’s invasion. Polish Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Warsaw a day after Kishida made a surprise visit to Kyiv and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Kishida said Japan would offer the Polish government development assistance in lights of “the increasing burden on Poland due to the prolonged invasion of Ukraine.” Japan usually provides the type of promised aid to developing countries, which Poland is no longer, but Kishida says the Japanese government is making a special exception.