Downbeat comments from top Russian officials have cast a shadow over this week’s summit between president Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe of Japan as the two countries look to settle a festering territorial dispute over four small islands.
Tokyo is hoping that personal chemistry between Mr Abe and Mr Putin will help restart seemingly stalled negotiations over a potential peace treaty after a difficult meeting between their foreign ministers in Moscow last week.
The Russian remarks highlight how difficult it will be to resolve the so-called Kurils dispute even as Mr Abe seeks to accelerate the timetable, with an eye on some kind of agreement by the time he hosts the G20 summit in June.
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