Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced his government would work towards fulfilling a 1956 agreement with Japan to resolve the status of two disputed islands. But the Russian leader didn't promise a return of the islands and his comments indicate that the two sides are not close to any agreement.

Putin was speaking at a cabinet meeting, in response to comments made the previous day by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Vladimir Putin,the Russian president, said, "I saw your interview. It was very good and I want to thank you for such a comprehensive picture of our foreign policy priorities. I want to note that, of course and this applies to the far east, we will always fulfill our obligations, especially ratified documents, of course, to the extent that our partners are prepared to fulfill the same agreement. So far, we know that we have not been able to reach an agreement on how we see it, and how we saw it back in 1956."

(CCTV.com)