Russia refuses peace talks with Japan, bans visa-free trips to Kuril Islands
Tokyo's sanctions on Moscow have affected diplomacy between the two countries.
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The Kuril Islands, a volcanic archipelago in Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry revealed that Moscow is refusing to continue negotiations with Japan on a peace treaty with Tokyo's implementation of sanctions against Russia in the background.
"The Russian side, under the current conditions, does not intend to continue negotiations with Japan on the peace treaty as it is impossible to discuss the signing of a fundamental document on bilateral relations with a state that takes openly unfriendly positions and seeks to harm the interests of our country," the ministry said in a statement.
Russia is blocking the extension of Japan's status as a dialogue partner in the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.
“All responsibility for the damage to bilateral cooperation and the interests of Japan itself lies with Tokyo, which deliberately made a choice in favor of an anti-Russian course instead of developing mutually beneficial cooperation and good neighborliness,” the ministry said.
"Given the obvious unfriendly nature of the unilateral restrictions imposed by Japan against Russia in connection with the situation in Ukraine, the following measures are being taken. The Russian side is withdrawing from the dialogue with Japan on establishing joint economic activities in the southern Kuril islands," the ministry said.
Russia will also be banning Japanese citizens from visiting the Kuril islands without a visa.
After WWII, Russia and Japan have not signed a peace treaty, and they have territorial disputes over the Kuril Islands. With both sides still 'at war', the sovereign fate of the islands is still unclear.
While Japan protests the visit of Russian officials to the islands, Russia fears the placement of US bases and missiles on the islands if they were to be handed to Tokyo.
Putting bandages on broken bones
On Sunday, Japan urged the United Arab Emirates to extract more oil to calm global markets down: The markets have been affected by the Ukraine crisis.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi came during meetings with Emirati officials while the German economy minister was on a visit three weeks after February 24.
Boris Johnson, Britain's Prime Minister, flew to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to push for more oil to lower the prices, which have reached over $100 a barrel, in addition to requests to supplies away from Moscow.
Hayashi requested "the UAE to contribute to the stabilization of the international oil market by supplying a greater amount of oil, securing spare productive capacity as a leading member of OPEC+," according to the Japanese foreign ministry.
Sanctions on Russian energy have contributed significantly to the rising oil prices, which Japan has also been responsible for.
