US backs Japan over Putin’s trip to disputed islands

The United States has expressed its backing for Japan's sovereignty over the disputed islands that were visited by Russian President Vladimir Putin. George Glass, the US ambassador to Tokyo, stated that the US remains committed to its most important ally and recognizes Japan's sovereignty over the Northern Territories, the Japanese name for the Kuril Islands.

This comes at a time when the US-Japan alliance aims to promote prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. Glass emphasized that any actions undermining the peace and stability of the alliance are strongly opposed. The visit marked the first by a Russian president since Dmitry Medvedev in 2010. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi affirmed that the Northern Territories are an integral part of Japan's territory, both historically and according to international law.

In response, Japan summoned Russia's ambassador, while Russia's embassy in Japan claimed that Putin's visit to the islands was not a matter for discussion with foreign states. The UN's secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, spokesperson Shirin Yaseen, noted that the issue is a bilateral matter between member states.