Rishi Sunak set for busy week of diplomacy in Iceland and Japan

The conflict in Ukraine will feature heavily as the Prime Minister embarks on a busy few days of diplomacy next week.

Rishi Sunak is to travel to a Council of Europe summit in Iceland, before heading to Japan for a bilateral meeting in Tokyo and a G7 gathering in Hiroshima.

Mr Sunak is expected to use the Council of Europe summit to discuss the importance of strengthening Europe’s borders, in the context of tackling illegal migration and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

His next stop will be Tokyo, where he is expected to announce a new UK-Japan collaboration on defence and technology as well as hosting a reception of business leaders.

“This week I will be travelling from Reykjavik to Hiroshima to drive global action on our most pressing priorities,” Mr Sunak said.

“Many of the challenges we are dealing with, from inflation to migration, must be solved by working closely with our international partners.

“I look forward to visiting Japan, a vital economic and defence partner for the UK in the Indo-Pacific.

“This year’s G7 Summit in Hiroshima comes at a pivotal moment, as Ukraine doubles down in its fight for survival and we deal with complex threats to global peace and prosperity.”

Mr Sunak will become the first British prime minister to visit Hiroshima when he attends the G7 summit, with discussions set to focus on the war in Ukraine and security in the Indo-Pacific.

He is also expected to hold a number of bilateral meetings with fellow world leaders.

The trip to Japan comes months after Mr Sunak hosted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in London in January, when the two countries signed a significant defence agreement.