Putin rules out negotiation with Japan over Kuriles

Russian President Vladimir Putin ruled out any negotiations with Japan over sovereignty of the Kurile Islands Tuesday during a nationally televised live call-in show.

"Four Kurile islands are under Russian sovereignty. This has been fixed by international law. This is a result of World War II. In this regard, we are not going to discuss anything, we are conducting negotiations from this standpoint," Putin said.

Putin said Moscow, however, is prepared for a solution to the dispute with Japan that will suit both countries.

"We want to settle all disputes with all neighbors, including Japan. We want to find such a variant that would suit both countries. Such variants can be found," Putin said.

The Kurile islands lie over 10,000 km from Moscow and just off Japan's Hokkaido island. Japan has demanded Russia cede sovereignty of the islands.

Putin is scheduled to visit Japan in November.

Source: Xinhua