Russian Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev, who was in charge of compiling Moscow's proposals for possible economic cooperation with Japan, was fired Tuesday after being detained earlier on suspicion of receiving a $2 million bribe, local media reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin had dismissed Ulyukayev after losing trust in him.
Ulyukayev's arrest and dismissal could impact bilateral talks on economic cooperation launched after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presented Russian President Vladimir Putin in May with an eight-point plan aimed at settling the territorial dispute and concluding a post-World War II peace treaty.