# Putin: Tokyo changed position despite previously constructive ties with Russia

https://mins.news/en/item/19929

- TASS, 2026-08-12 08:51 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://tass.com/politics/2171763

> Vladimir Putin says Tokyo has shifted its position despite what he described as previously constructive relations with Russia. He recalled that the Soviet Union and Japan signed a declaration in the mid-1950s. According to Putin, that document opened the way toward a peace treaty. It also created a path toward resolving the issue of the Kuril Islands.

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