Kremlin explains why peace treaty talks with Japan are currently ‘impossible’

Relations between Moscow and Tokyo have been “reduced to zero” amid the Ukraine conflict, spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said

Russia and Japan are not holding any negotiations on concluding a long-elusive peace treaty, as bilateral relations have hit rock bottom over Tokyo’s “unfriendly” stance towards Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peskov weighed in on remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during her policy speech to the parliament. She acknowledged that while Russia-Japan relations are in “a tough spot,” “the Japanese government’s position remains unchanged, aiming to resolve the territorial issue and conclude a peace treaty.”

Peskov responded by saying that relations between the two countries had been “reduced to zero.” “There is no dialogue, and it is impossible to discuss the topic of a peace treaty without dialogue,” he said, stressing that Russia has never been in favor of ending diplomacy, and that Tokyo was to blame for the lack of engagement.

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The spokesman added that Japan was taking an “unfriendly position” toward Russia, and that “under these circumstances, it is unlikely that any agreements can be reached without changing the modalities of our relations.”

Moscow and Tokyo have never concluded a formal peace treaty after the end of World War II, though they signed a declaration in 1956 that ended the state of war and restored diplomatic ties.

However, a formal peace treaty has never followed, as it was blocked by a territorial dispute over the four southernmost islands of the Kuril archipelago, which were taken by the Soviet Union at the end of WWII. Japan contests Moscow’s sovereignty over the chain and has historically made its return a precondition for any peace deal.

The dispute was further inflamed in March 2022, when Russia formally suspended peace treaty negotiations in retaliation for Japan’s decision to join Western sanctions over the Ukraine conflict. Tokyo has also provided Kiev with various types of support – something Moscow has consistently denounced.