Russia does not expect to make any progress in upcoming talks with Japan aimed at concluding a bilateral peace treaty, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported Friday.
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi is to visit Russia for the meeting in October.
"Stands on the issue are well-known, and it is hard to expect any novelties," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov was quoted as saying.
"Stands on the territorial issue are well-known, as well," he said, adding that Japan's demand for the return of the four islands is groundless. "We would like to remove the issue from the bilateral agenda, but it is not so easy to do that."
The bilateral territorial dispute over Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan islands and the Habomai group of islets, off Hokkaido, has hampered treaty negotiations.