Russia Issues Warning to Japan Over NATO Arms Deal for Ukraine

(MENAFN) Russia on Wednesday put Japan on notice, warning that any move to join a NATO arms procurement mechanism for Ukraine would deepen an already strained bilateral relationship — and that weapons financed by Tokyo would be treated as legitimate battlefield targets by Russian forces.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters at a regular ministry briefing that Moscow had received intelligence indicating Japan intends to formally join a NATO mechanism dedicated to purchasing military equipment for Ukraine.

"These steps will further complicate Russia-Japan relations, which, through Tokyo's actions, have already been in a state of deep stagnation," Zakharova said.

She went further, delivering an explicit military warning: any equipment supplied to Ukraine using Japanese funding would, in Moscow's assessment, constitute a lawful target for Russian forces operating on the ground.

The development follows months of signals from Tokyo suggesting a growing appetite for deeper engagement with the Western alliance. In April of last year, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, following talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, declared that Japan saw significant potential in expanding defense industry cooperation with the bloc.

More recently, a Japanese public broadcaster reported earlier this month that Tokyo was preparing to formally announce its entry into a NATO assistance program designed to procure weapons and equipment from the United States for delivery to Ukraine — a move that now appears to have triggered Moscow's sharpest response yet.

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