俄罗斯总统普京于8月13日访问了千岛群岛中的伊图鲁普岛（日本称其为择捉岛），这是他首次视察这一争议领土，引发日本政府的强烈不满[2]。日本外务大臣茂木敏充随即发表声明，声称"北方四岛在历史上和国际法下都是日本领土的固有部分，日本政府强烈抗议此访"[2]。
这四个岛屿在1945年二战末期被苏联占领，当时约17,000名日本居民被驱逐，目前有约20,000名俄罗斯公民居住其上[2]。俄日两国围绕千岛群岛的争议已持续数十年，成为两国迄今未签署正式和平条约的主要原因之一[1][2]。俄罗斯领导人很少访问该地区，前总理梅德韦杰夫曾在2010年和2015年到访过[2]。
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed Kuril Islands on August 13, marking his first trip to the contested territory [2]. The visit drew swift condemnation from Japan, which has long asserted sovereignty over four of the islands. Japan's Foreign Minister Shigeru Motegi issued a strong statement of protest, declaring that the islands "are inherent Japanese territory in both historical and international law" and that "the Japanese government firmly protests this visit" [1][2].
The four islands in question were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, at the end of World War II [2]. At that time, approximately 17,000 Japanese residents were expelled from the territory, which is now home to around 20,000 Russian citizens [2]. The territorial dispute has persisted for decades and remains a major obstacle to normalized relations between Moscow and Tokyo. This unresolved disagreement over the Kuril Islands—known as Itturup in Russian and Etorofu in Japanese—is a principal reason why Russia and Japan have never signed a formal peace treaty following World War II [1][2].