Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday for a surprise visit to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to footage carried by Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Kishida, who traveled to Kyiv by train from Poland, was due to return to Tokyo today after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday. In January, Kishida told the Japanese parliament that he would visit Ukraine “if the conditions are right”.

Kishida “will express his respect to Zelensky for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people,” the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by Spanish news agency EFE.

“As a member of the G7, the Prime Minister will directly convey our solidarity and unwavering support to Ukraine,” added Japanese diplomacy.

Kishida had been considering a possible trip to Ukraine since the beginning of the year, according to local media. Japanese media reported that the trip to Kyiv could not be scheduled far in advance or made public due to security concerns.

President of Japan in kyiv, Chinese President in Moscow

The Japanese leader’s visit to Ukraine coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia, which Tokyo said is following closely. Xi will meet today with Russian President Vladimir Putin on an initiative by Beijing to try to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

China today expressed hope that Kishida’s trip to Ukraine will serve to “de-escalate the situation” and not the other way around. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the international community should ” promote talks that create the necessary conditions for a political solution to the “crisis” in Ukraine”.

Kishida’s government has passed a series of sanctions against Russia, including freezing the assets of senior government officials such as Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

“We will firmly reject any unilateral change to the ‘status quo’ through aggression and force by Russia,” the Japanese foreign ministry said of Kishida’s visit to Kyiv, adding. “We will reaffirm our determination to uphold the international order based on the rule of law.”

A Ukraine hails Kishida’s ‘historic visit’ as a ‘sign of solidarity’ from Tokyoafter more than a year of Russian invasion of the country, EFE reported.

Kishida was the only G7 leader who had yet to travel to Ukraine, following visits by leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy and France.

Japan currently chairs the group which brings together the seven most industrialized countries in the world, in which the European Union also participates.

After the visit to Ukraine, Fumio Kishida will return to Poland on Wednesday for an official visit, to coordinate efforts with Warsaw to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine, according to the Japanese ministry.