Russia sees no reason to discuss formal WWII peace treaty with Japan, Kremlin says

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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia sees no reason to discuss the possibility of signing a long-awaited peace treaty with Japan to formally end World War Two because of Tokyo's unfriendly stance towards Moscow, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Russia, the successor state to the Soviet Union, and Japan have never signed a treaty formally ending their hostilities during World War Two.

Soviet troops took control of four islands off Japan's Hokkaido - known in Russia as the Kurils and in Japan as the Northern Territories - at the end of the war and they have remained in Moscow's hands since. The territorial dispute has prevented progress on signing a treaty.

"No, there are no contacts with the Japanese authorities at the moment," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, when asked about a Japanese Foreign Ministry report which said Tokyo was still committed to signing a treaty and hoped to return the islands.

"You know that Tokyo has rushed to fully join in all unfriendly and hostile steps towards our country," Peskov added, referring to Japan's decision to join Western sanctions against Russia to punish it for its military action in Ukraine.

Given "the real state of affairs" and Japanese sanctions on Moscow, Peskov said it was "hardly possible to talk about the possibility of any negotiations".

(Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; Writing by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge/Andrew Osborn)