Putin Warns Abe of Hard Work Ahead to Resolve Islands Dispute
- Kremlin talks end with little sign of progress on peace deal
- Police detain protesters urging Russia not to cede territory
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ended their latest attempt to resolve a seven-decades-old territorial dispute over four islands with a pledge to keep talking, even as the Kremlin damped expectations for a breakthrough.
While discussions were frank and informative, there is “painstaking work ahead” and any deal must be acceptable to both the Russian and Japanese people, Putin told reporters after the Kremlin talks with Abe on Tuesday. “We discussed a peace agreement without hiding anything from each other,” Abe said, adding that foreign ministers from both sides would continue talks next month in Munich.