Russia says disagreements still hampers peace talks with Japan

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday there were still significant points of disagreement with Japan standing in the way of a push to sign a peace deal to end a decades-old territorial dispute.

Speaking to reporters in Moscow after talks with Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono, Lavrov said it was hard to expect progress in peace talks without Japan first recognising Moscow's sovereignty over disputed island territories, RIA news agency reported.

Russia and Japan have been in dispute for seven decades over islands known in Russia as the Southern Kuriles and in Japan as the Northern Territories. (Reporting by Polina Devitt; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Alison Williams)