Putin Destroys Japan's Hope For Return of Southern Kuriles

Vladimir Putin responded to a Japanese journalist on the controversial issue of the South Kuril Islands at a meeting with foreign journalists as part of the recent SPIEF'21.

Putin briefly recalled the background of this issue. Japan's position has changed very often since 1956, when they started talking about the two islands. Then, at the initiative of Japan, talks about this part of the Kuril Islands stopped. Later, Russia resumed them at the request of the Japanese side, when it came to two islands. After that, Japan's position changed again, and this time it was about four islands. Meanwhile, neither Russia nor the Soviet Union ever agreed to this.

During the preliminary discussions, the Russian side was interested in issues relate

d to security. Namely, how to resolve these issues, taking into account the fact that the United States plans to deploy modern attack missile systems on Japanese territory. Russia has always been concerned about whether these missile systems would be deployed at a distance that would threaten the Russian Federation. Unfortunately, Russia has not received an unambiguous, firm and clear answer.

This was followed by recent amendments to the Russian Constitution, which makes it impossible to alienate any territories of the country.

Putin believes that in any case, Russia should build good-neighborly relations with Japan. In particular, continue negotiations on a peace treaty between the two countries ... however, given that the Japanese side has always linked the issue of a peace treaty with the return of the Kuril Islands, therefore, the prospects for its signing, as well as the return of the South Kuril Islands to Japan, are absolutely unrealistic.