Frozen Ties: Russia Halts Peace Talks with Japan Over Kuril Islands and Ukraine

Russia has reaffirmed its stance against resuming peace treaty negotiations with Japan, citing Tokyo's confrontational approach. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko stated that there is currently no opportunity to restart talks due to Japan's increasing military activities with the United States and NATO near Russia's Far Eastern shores, as well as Japan's support for Ukraine.
Rudenko emphasized that Japan's hostile policies since February 2022 have been dismantling bilateral relations built over decades. He stated that normalizing intergovernmental dialogue would require concrete steps from Tokyo to abandon its anti-Russian policies, which are escalating tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
This development further strains the already tense Russia-Japan relations, which have deteriorated significantly since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The longstanding territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands remains unresolved, with both nations maintaining their respective claims to sovereignty,
Source: China Daily, Impressive Times, hir.harvard