MOSCOW (Kyodo) Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has indicated that conditions are not yet ripe for Russia and Japan to achieve a breakthrough in the decades-old territorial dispute over four Russian-controlled islands off Hokkaido.
"It is necessary (for the two countries) to prepare the conditions, to develop the relations in all directions," Putin said during a group interview ahead of his visit to Japan on Monday.
"In order to resolve such high-level and difficult problems, it is necessary to show patience, attention to each other's interests," Putin said, noting the two countries need "not to put the situation into a deadlock by permanent pretensions and confrontation."