Putin Visits 1 Disputed Kuril Island as Japan Weighs New Sanctions
Updated
Updated · The Moscow Times · Aug 17
Putin Visits 1 Disputed Kuril Island as Japan Weighs New Sanctions
3 articles · Updated · The Moscow Times · Aug 17
Summary
August 13 marked Putin’s first known visit as president to Iturup/Etorofu, one of four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan, prompting Tokyo to summon Russia’s ambassador and lodge a formal protest.
The Kremlin appears to have used the trip to stir patriotic support before Russia’s September 18-20 parliamentary election and to signal retaliation for Japan’s hard line over Ukraine.
Japan has imposed broad sanctions since 2022, pledged $20 billion in aid to Ukraine and joined NATO-backed efforts to fund U.S.-made weapons for Kyiv, making it a sharper target for Moscow.
The visit also undercut tentative recent reengagement, including a Japanese business delegation to Moscow and a July Lavrov-Motegi meeting, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi saying anti-Russian sentiment has hardened.
The island dispute dates to the Soviet seizure in 1945 and still blocks a formal peace treaty, leaving Putin’s move likely to deepen a long-frozen rift rather than revive talks.