An international conference was held in Tokyo where experts from Europe, the United States, Asia, and other countries discussed global issues, and opinions were exchanged on the protracted invasion of Ukraine. In this context, there was a difference in temperature among experts in each country over how to end the war, such as India's appeal for diplomatic efforts against the United States, which said that Russia should be forced into a military defeat and a ceasefire.

"Tokyo Conference 2023" was held in Tokyo by Genron NPO, which conducts research and holds conferences on diplomacy.

At the public symposium on the 24th, experts on international politics and other fields from think tanks in 10 countries, including the United States, Germany, India, and Brazil, attended discussions on how to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the division of the international community, which has been pointed out as a conflict between democracy and authoritarianism.

James Lindsay of the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations said, "The content of a peaceful settlement of a military invasion is crucial, and it must not benefit the invading Russia. The time for diplomacy is not ripe," he said, adding that a ceasefire should be held with Russia in a military defeat, and that a diplomatic solution would be difficult at this point.

Meanwhile, Sanjoy Jossi, president of the Observer Research Foundation in India, said: "Everything – energy and food – is being used as tools of war, and countries outside Ukraine are also affected. We need a third party to mediate," he said, stressing the need for diplomatic efforts toward a ceasefire amid the significant impact on the lives of people living in developing countries due to inflation triggered by the invasion of Ukraine.

At the end of the symposium, a "Joint Statement" was compiled proposing the continuation of military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and strengthening assistance to developing countries suffering from soaring resource prices, and presented to the governments of the G7 = Japan which serve as the chair of the seven major countries.

U.S. expert "Military support until Russia decides it can't win"

James Lindsay, senior deputy director of the Council on Foreign Relations, who is familiar with U.S. foreign policy, spoke to NHK at an international conference in Tokyo.

In an interview, Lindsay said: "The prospect of ending the war in Ukraine is very slim, and ideally the Russians would decide that they could not win and agree to peace talks, but unfortunately we have not reached that stage. Some people point out that the current situation is a stalemate, but in reality it is a war of attrition and this war will be prolonged."

And speaking about Putin's strategy, Lindsay said, "His calculation is to end Western support for Ukraine by prolonging the war.

"The United States and other countries must continue to provide military support to Ukraine until Russia decides that it cannot win. At this point, it is not possible to chart a path toward a ceasefire.

In addition, Prime Minister Kishida's visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on May 21 and his meeting with President Zelensky stated, "Reconstruction assistance and other measures are important," and emphasized the importance of the Western side continuing to provide unity and assistance.

On the other hand, Lindsay said that the international community is deepening divisions between the United States and its allies, Russia and China, and said, "In a world like this, diplomacy is very important. The diplomatic skills of various countries, mainly the United States and China, are being tested."