Moscow and Tokyo still have “extremely significant” differences over a World War II peace deal that Japan hopes will end a territorial row between them, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Friday.
Japan is seeking a deal with Russia to put an end to a dispute over islands off its northeastern coast that were seized by Soviet troops in the last days of World War II, a disagreement that has soured bilateral relations for decades.