Kyiv recognized for Tokyo the “right” to the southern Kuril Islands, which in Japan are called the northern territories.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the signing of the relevant decree.  

“An important decision has been made.

Fair, legally impeccable, historical.

Ukraine reaffirmed its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Japan, including its northern territories, which are still under “Russian occupation,” he said.

According to Zelensky, the world allegedly “knows well” that Moscow has no right to these territories.

In this connection, he called on the world community to take action to "liberate" all the lands that the Russian Federation is "trying to retain."

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a similar resolution.

The text of document No. 8108 “On BP's appeal to the international community regarding the northern territories of Japan” states support for Tokyo's position and the need to take measures to legalize the status of the islands.

According to Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Soviet Union allegedly occupied the Kuriles in 1945, and Russia, being the successor to the USSR, was supposed to return them.

  • Ministers at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv

  • RIA News

However, experts point to the falsity and illegality of Kyiv's argumentation.

As Oleg Kazakov, a senior researcher at the Center for Japan Studies at the Institute of the Far East of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained in an interview with RT, the southern Kuril Islands were ceded to Russia as a result of World War II.

Moreover, Japan, having signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty in 1951, itself renounced all rights and claims to them, the expert recalled.

“In order to solve such complex issues, it is necessary to consider the problem in all legal subtleties.

The USSR never promised Japan that it would return or transfer the Kuriles to it.

We are probably talking about the joint declaration of the USSR and Japan, which states that the countries will continue negotiations on a peace treaty.

And if an agreement is reached, Japan will be given the islands of Shikotan and Habomai.

But since both sides now hold different positions, it is pointless to discuss this topic, ”he said.

The absurdity of the argumentation of the Ukrainian leadership on the Kuril issue in a conversation with RT was also noted by the associate professor of the Academy of Labor and Social Relations, Candidate of Political Sciences Pavel Feldman.

“Representatives of Kyiv decided that they could question the outcome of the Second World War, and consider their own decisions to be “legally irreproachable.”

Perhaps, from the point of view of the authors of the initiative, they appear to be so, but from the point of view of people who have elementary knowledge of history and law, this is all ridiculous, ”he emphasized.

According to the expert, the international community remembers very well that Japan lost its territories due to siding with the Nazis during World War II.

“Thus, if Kyiv believes that Japan should get these territories back, it only once again confirms its commitment to Nazi ideology and attempts to rehabilitate the crimes of the Nazis,” the political scientist noted.

The absurdity of the claims

Meanwhile, the leadership of the Far East reacted to the statements of the Kyiv authorities.

The governor of the Sakhalin region, Valery Limarenko, called the decree of the Ukrainian president ridiculous.

The Kuril Islands are the territory of the Russian Federation.

Our land ... Any disputes about the ownership of the Kuril Islands, calls to violate the integrity of the state are unacceptable.

It is especially ridiculous when they come from representatives of the Kyiv junta,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.

Limarenko also recalled that the inhabitants of the region had long made their territorial choice and "put an end to this issue", in particular, by voting in 2020 for amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Recall, according to one of the amendments, Russia ensures the protection of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, therefore "actions aimed at alienating part of the territory, as well as calls for such actions are not allowed."

As Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev noted in September 2020, such an amendment facilitates potential negotiations with Japan regarding the fate of the Kuril Islands.

“Since they (Japanese partners. -

RT

) must proceed from the fact that the current Constitution contains a rule on the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation and does not allow even the very discussion of the alienation of any territories,” he said at a meeting with participants in the All-Russian Youth patriotic rally "Ostrova-2020".

  • Cape Vasin on Urup Island

  • RIA News

  • © Ekaterina Aristarkhova

Zelensky's decision was criticized even by readers of the German newspaper Die Welt.

“This gentleman is not busy enough with his problems in Ukraine?

Obviously not.

Now he needed to stir up other conflicts with Russia, ”Lukas E was indignant.

“Oh, Zelensky.

What about Northern Cyprus?

What about Palestine/Israel?”

— asked the subscriber under the nickname VF

“This actor, who suddenly became a multi-millionaire in a poor and highly corrupt country, continues to add fuel to the fire,” noted reader Joachim R.

“This is how slowly the Ukrainian president shows his true face as a warmonger,” stated Gabor H.

False Parallels

Meanwhile, experts note that the Ukrainian president, supporting the territorial claims of Japan, is trying to draw parallels between the Kuriles and Crimea in this way.

Earlier, the US Ambassador to Tokyo Rahm Emanuel made a similar attempt, congratulating the Japanese authorities on the so-called Day of the Northern Territories on February 7th.

In a video message on his Twitter page, he declared the full support of the United States for Japanese sovereignty over the islands of Shikotan, Kunashir, Iturup and Habomai and accused Russia of neglecting foreign territorial integrity.

“From the northern territories to the Crimea to the east of Ukraine, no one has any doubts about who the aggressor is.

And (this situation. -

RT

) the whole world is watching, ”said the ambassador.

At the same time, he welcomed the efforts of the Japanese and Russian authorities to conclude a peace treaty between the states.

  • U.S. Ambassador to Tokyo Rahm Emanuel

  • Gettyimages.ru

  • © Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call

Recall that now the negotiation process between Russia and Japan has been terminated.

Moscow announced its freeze on March 21 as a response to Japan's imposition of unilateral sanctions against the Russian Federation in connection with the situation in Ukraine.

As explained in the Russian Foreign Ministry, it is impossible to discuss the signing of a fundamental document on bilateral relations with a state "occupying openly unfriendly positions and seeking to harm the interests of the country."

According to Oleg Kazakov, attempts to compare the situations with the Kuriles and Crimea are incorrect, as they refer to different political events that have nothing in common with each other.

“Crimea and the Kuril Islands are completely different stories.

They should be considered in their own light and decided in accordance with the set of factors and circumstances that will develop on this issue in this region.

It is not entirely correct to draw parallels between the middle of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, both from the point of view of history and from the point of view of the real situation, ”he explained.

His position is shared by Pavel Feldman.

“If Crimea joined the Russian Federation after the will of the local population, then the Kuriles were given to the USSR as a kind of reparations for the crimes of the fascist regime of Japan.

It was a retribution for the erroneous historical choice of the authorities and the people of this state, ”the analyst emphasized.

At the same time, in his opinion, no statements and appeals from Kyiv will be able to influence the situation with the Kuriles even in the slightest.

“Moreover, in reality, Kyiv cares little about the interests of its Asian partners.

At the head of his corner - his own image in the international arena and the desire to please the allies.

So, in general, Zelensky’s move is a political PR campaign aimed at the pro-Western part of Asia.

This is a desire to sing along to the Japanese government on an important topic for it and enlist the support of a rather powerful power in the economic sense, ”summed up Feldman.