VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 3 (Interfax) - Negotiations on a peace treaty with Japan should be supported by guarantees of the non-deployment of U.S. troops near the Russian border, but Tokyo has not been responding to the relevant Russian calls, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"When discussing a peace treaty, we need to ensure a peaceful future, which means we need guarantees against unexpected turns of events associated with the possible deployment of U.S. troops or, especially, offensive missile systems in the vicinity of our border," Putin said at a plenary meeting of the Eastern Economic Forum.
"These issues have been raised before the Japanese side, but we haven't received any answers, so I believe the ball is in our partners' court," he said.