Moscow blames Tokyo for collapse of peace treaty negotiations

Diplomatic relations between Moscow and Tokyo have effectively been reduced to zero, making the conclusion of a long-awaited peace treaty impossible without a resumption of dialogue, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on February 20.

Peskov told reporters that bilateral relations had been brought to a standstill and that there was currently no dialogue between the two countries. Under such conditions, he said, it was impossible to discuss or sign a peace treaty, Caliber.Az reports via TASS. 

Peskov added that Russia had not been the party to end talks, arguing that dialogue was interrupted at Japan’s initiative after Tokyo adopted what Moscow considers an unfriendly stance. Without a fundamental change in the nature of relations, he suggested, reaching any agreements would be unlikely.

His comments came in response to remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who recently reiterated that Japan’s position on resolving the long-standing territorial dispute with Russia and concluding a formal peace treaty remains unchanged despite strained bilateral ties.

In March 2022, following Japan’s sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced it was suspending peace treaty negotiations with Tokyo. Moscow also halted discussions on joint economic activities on the disputed islands, further deepening the diplomatic freeze between the two neighbours.

The “Northern Territories,” as they are known in Japan, are what Russians call the Kuril Islands. Or, to be exact, the four southernmost islands in the volcanic archipelago that stretches roughly 1,300 kilometres between Japan’s northern Hokkaido prefecture and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

By Sabina Mammadli