TOKYO, Apr 21 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to visit Japan on April 24-25 as a «guest of the Foreign Ministry,» the Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
«Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will visit Japan as a Foreign Ministry guest from April 24 to 25. During the visit, he will pay a visit to Prime Minister Kishida, hold a meeting and a working lunch with him. Governor DeSantis' visit to Japan will provide an opportunity to further strengthen relations between Japan and Florida in a wide range of areas, including political and economic ties,» the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
DeSantis is considered Donald Trump's main rival for the Republican nomination in the 2024 US presidential election. As The Washington Post previously reported, citing sources, DeSantis said in private that he intends to run for president.
In Japan, he was at one time called «Trump Trump's politician.» Last September, DeSantis flew about fifty illegal immigrants to the resort island of Martha's Vineyard to protest against the liberal migration policy of the Democrats who control the US administration and Congress. DeSantis also signed into law a law granting residents of the state the right to concealed carry weapons on its territory without the need to obtain permission from the authorities, and a law «to protect the heartbeat», which prohibits abortions for a period of six weeks, when the child's heart begins to beat.
DeSantis has previously said that involvement in the conflict in Ukraine is not a vital US national interest. In his opinion, Washington should seek peace between Moscow and Kiev. DeSantis also noted that the United States should not provide Ukraine with such assistance that would require the deployment of American troops or allow Ukraine to conduct offensive operations outside its borders. Sending F-16 fighter jets and long-range missiles is ruled out, he said.
Earlier, Russia sent a note to NATO countries because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation stated that the NATO countries are «playing with fire» by supplying weapons to Ukraine. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect. Lavrov also stated that the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, «including not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of personnel … on the territory of Great Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries.»
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