New Facts: Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Islands

Vladimir Putin visited one of the southern Kuril Islands on August 13, marking his first trip to the disputed Pacific chain since becoming Russia’s president.

Japan condemned the visit and summoned the Russian ambassador in Tokyo to lodge a formal protest. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the move unacceptable and a violation of Japan’s position on the islands.

The four southernmost islands were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945. Japan claims them as the Northern Territories, while Russia administers them as part of its Sakhalin region.

Because of this dispute, Japan and Russia have never signed a World War II peace treaty. Peace talks have been frozen since 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Japan’s sanctions.

During the trip, Putin toured local sites tied to the islands’ fishing economy, including sampling fish roe. The visit put renewed focus on the long‑running sovereignty standoff between Moscow and Tokyo.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources