Putin says no talks with Japan unless it alters stance on Ukraine

June 6, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the conditions are not currently in place for his country to resume talks with Japan on a post-World War II peace treaty, blaming Tokyo for souring bilateral relations by supporting Ukraine.

In response to a question from Kyodo News during a meeting with representatives of international news agencies in St. Petersburg, Putin said Russia does "not refuse to engage in such a dialogue," but for it to happen Japan would first need to change its position on the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with representatives of international news agencies in St. Petersburg on June 5, 2024.

"Everything that has been done has been done by Japan," Putin said, at a time when nearly all bilateral talks are stalled following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

In March of that year, Moscow announced its suspension of peace pact negotiations with Tokyo, criticizing it as unfriendly for imposing sanctions on Russia in the wake of the war.

During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin also said he will not shy away from visiting islands off Japan's Hokkaido that are disputed with Tokyo, reiterating their status as part of Russia's territory.

He noted, however, that there are no immediate plans for him to visit the area, suggesting he is busy with other matters.

Japan and Russia have been at odds over the sovereignty of four islands, which were seized by the Soviet Union following the Asian country's surrender in World War II on Aug. 15, 1945.

The dispute over Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan islands as well as the Habomai islet group, known in Japan as the Northern Territories and in Russia as the Southern Kurils, has prevented the two countries from signing a postwar peace treaty.