Japan should accept Russia's position in the decades-old territorial dispute and accept two of the four islands, as Moscow has no room for further compromise, a senior Russian lawmaker said Monday in an interview with Kyodo News.
"This is all Russia can do. It is meaningless to expect us to compromise further," said Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the international affairs committee in the lower house of the State Duma.
Analysts say Kosachev's view reflects that of President Vladimir Putin, who is slated to visit Japan in the first half of this year. Kosachev is a heavyweight on diplomatic issues within United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party that dominates the lower house.
The territorial dispute involves the islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri and Shikotan, and the Habomai islets, which the Soviet Union seized at the end of World War II.