Reuters:
Russia said on Wednesday it hoped its deployment of missile systems on the Kurile islands would not damage efforts to settle the long-running territorial dispute between Moscow and Tokyo over the islands.
Russian media reported on Tuesday that Bastion and Bal anti-ship missile systems were now in operation on the islands, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean over which Russia and Japan have staked rival claims for 70 years.
Delicate diplomacy is underway to prepare for a meeting between the Russian and Japanese leaders in December, when both sides say they hope progress can be made towards settling the dispute.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the Russian defense ministry had grounds for deploying the missile systems, without giving any details.
“But at the same time from our point of view it should not in any way influence the centripetal trend which exists in our bilateral relations with Tokyo,” Peskov said.
