MOSCOW - Japan's involvement in supplying weapons to Ukraine undermines prospects for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and will be regarded by Moscow as hostile actions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Commenting on reports about Japan's possible procurement of drones from Ukraine, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said such reports "once again confirm the fact that Tokyo is becoming increasingly deeply involved in military cooperation with the Kyiv regime, which openly demands weapons for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in exchange for drones."
"It is clear that all this increasingly pushes back the prospects for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine," she said, adding that such steps will not go unnoticed and will entail harsh retaliatory measures.
READ MORE: Russia warns Japan against remilitarization, urges adherence to pacifist principles
On March 14, Japan's Kyodo News reported that the country is considering providing lethal weapons to Ukraine in exchange for Ukrainian drones. Six days later, Ukraine's Ambassador to Japan Yuriy Lutovinov said Ukraine is ready to share with Japan its experience in modern warfare and drone production technologies.
91 Ukrainian drones downed
Russia's air defense systems shot down 91 Ukrainian drones across 9 regions in seven hours on Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
The ministry said that Russia's on-duty air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 91 Ukrainian drones from 1 pm to 8 pm. Moscow time on Wednesday.
The drones were shot down across Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Smolensk, Tula and Moscow regions, it said.
Russia-US contact
Also, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the same day that Russia continues to maintain contact with the United States and hopes Washington will play a role in resolving the Ukraine issue.
"We welcome the continued efforts by the American side to create the necessary conditions for reaching a settlement on the Ukraine issue," he said at a daily press briefing. Each round of contact may represent a step toward finding a solution, which he emphasized must take full account of Russia's interests.
He reiterated Russia's hope that the US will keep playing a role in resolving the Ukraine issue and that Russia stays open to negotiations on the matter.
READ MORE: Kremlin says Russia-Japan ties ‘reduced to zero’ amid lack of dialogue
Since the start of this year, Russia, the US, and Ukraine have held three rounds of trilateral talks on the Ukraine issue, with the most recent round held in Geneva, Switzerland, from Feb 17-18.
