Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a new long-term on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Italy on Thursday, formalizing Tokyo¡¯s support for Kyiv and pledging to conduct consultations in the case of future attacks on the war-torn country.

More than 27 months since Russia invaded Ukraine, the new nonbinding agreement, valid for 10 years, covers a number of areas ¡ª from defense to the treatment of injured Ukrainian service members.

¡°This accord shows that Russian aggression against Ukraine is not just a European concern, but rather a concern for the entire international community,¡± Kishida said after signing the agreement, noting that Japan was the first country outside of NATO to take this step.