Russia Rejects U.S. Claim on Kuril Islands
US Ambassador's statements on the sovereignty of the Southern Kurils encourage 'Japanese revisionism'; Russia's sovereignty over the islands is unquestionable, stated Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Consensus
- The U.S. ambassador to Tokyo stated that the United States recognizes Japan's sovereignty over the Southern Kuril Islands.
- Russia's Foreign Ministry, through spokesperson Maria Zakharova, rejected the statement as not new and without principled novelty.
- Zakharova emphasized that Russia's sovereignty over the Southern Kurils is undisputed.
- The Southern Kurils were transferred to the Soviet Union after World War II, according to agreements among Allied powers, including the U.S., and the UN Charter.
- The Yalta Conference of February 11, 1945, saw the USSR agree to join the war against militarist Japan, with the U.S. and UK supporting the transfer of the islands to Moscow.
- General Douglas MacArthur excluded the islands from Japanese territory in his first directive after the signing of the Instrument of Surrender on September 2, 1945.
- Russia has expressed strong protest over Japan's reaction to President Putin's visit to Iturup Island.
- The Japanese ambassador to Russia was summoned and formally protested by Russian diplomats.
Points of divergence
- Zakharova stated that the U.S. statement is not a principled novelty and that similar support for Japan's position has been expressed by U.S. diplomats before. — tg_MID_Russia
- The Japanese ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on August 18, 2026, and formally protested. — m24
- Zakharova said the U.S. statement encourages 'Japanese revanchism and revisionism,' which cause growing concern among almost all of Japan's neighbors. — interfax
- Zakharova stated that U.S. statements on the Kurils encourage 'Japanese revanchism and militarism.' — tg_rian_ru
Coverage (4 sources)
- Response of the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs M.V.Zakharchenko to a media question about the statement of the US Ambassador in Tokyo regarding the... — МИД России
- Russian Foreign Ministry regards US ambassador's statements in Tokyo on Kurils as encouragement of 'Japanese revisionism' — Интерфакс
- Russia's sovereignty over the Southern Kurils is beyond doubt, emphasized in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — РИА Новости (Telegram)
- Zakharova accused US ambassador in Tokyo of encouraging Japanese revisionism — Москва 24
Key entities
- USA
- Russia
- Tokyo
- MID
- Maria Zakharov
- Kurils
- Japan
- Southern Kurils
- Media
- Southern
- Moscow
- INTERFAX.RU
- UN
- Dmitry Belitsky
- V.V.Putin
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