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Senior Russian, Japanese diplomats discuss US missile defenses

Russia has been opposing the deployment of US missile defenses to Japan, emphasizing that it would negatively affect the regional balance of power

MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and his Japanese counterpart Takeo Mori have discussed security issues in Northeast Asia, including plans to deploy US missile defenses to Japan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The parties continued to discuss ways to ensure security, focusing on the situation in northeast Asia, including the US missile defenses issue," the statement reads.

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Russia, Japan discuss Moscow’s concerns over deployment of US missile defense

The previous meeting on strategic stability, involving Ryabkov and Mori, took place in the Japanese capital of Tokyo on July 4. The parties discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and arms control issues.

In December 2017, Japan’s government made a decision that two Aegis Ashore batteries would be deployed to the northern and southwestern parts of the island of Honshu by 2023. According to the Japanese authorities, two Aegis Ashore batteries are enough to ensure the country’s security from ballistic missile attacks. In this connection, Tokyo mainly points to the North Korea threat. However, Aegis Ashore systems can also intercept long-range ballistic missiles, including Chinese ones. Thought the batteries are planned to be deployed by 2023, but the process may be sped up. Each of the Aegis Ashore batteries will cost Japan about 100 bln yen ($917 mln).

Russia and China have been opposing the deployment of US missile defenses to Japan, emphasizing that it would negatively affect the regional balance of power.

Results of the Year with Vladimir Putin

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Share of missing Russian servicemen must be reduced to absolute zero — Putin

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Kremlin warns about consequences for masterminds, perpetrators of Russian asset seizure

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Russia insists that West honor security commitments — Putin

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Krasny Liman to be liberated in near future — Putin

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Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia refuse to finance Kiev — EU summit statement

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Trump says US wants back oil rights allegedly taken by Venezuela

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Trump signs defense budget worth $901 billion — White House

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Maduro vows full effort to protect Venezuela’s sovereignty under any circumstances

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The President emphasized that the attempts by the Ukrainian army to regain lost positions "at any cost," as is being done in the area of Krasnoarmeysk, are not succeeding

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Lukashenko says he is ‘outgoing’ president

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Russian troops liberate four communities in Ukraine operation over week — top brass

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EU replaced its ‘strategic defeat’ mantra with ‘maximum damage’ — Naryshkin

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Four EU officials said that a key point in the discussion was the idea of excluding Hungary and Slovakia from the general debt repayment scheme, as both countries oppose further aid to Ukraine

Russian troops to move westward after liberating Kupyansk-Uzlovoi — Putin

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Western military presence in Ukraine in any format unacceptable for Russia — MFA

Maria Zakharova stated that such pseudo-peacekeepers would become legitimate targets for the Russian army

Kiev and Europe try to disown compromises of Trump plan, Naryshkin says

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Ukrainian forces fail to retake parts of Krasnoarmeysk, suffer losses — Putin

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Sergey Naryshkin said the phone conversation was held "just a few days ago"

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EU to issue 90 billion euro in interest-free loan to Kiev — Merz

The German Chancellor said that "the Russian frozen assets will remain blocked until Russia has paid reparations to Ukraine"

Four US planes spotted again near Venezuela's maritime border — dispatchers

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Trump not ruling out war with Venezuela

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Russia not at war with West, West fights Russia with Ukrainian nationalists’ hands — Putin

The President stressed that Russia was ready to end the conflict in Ukraine, provided its security was guaranteed in the medium and long term

Russia ready to restore intergovernmental trade commission with Slovakia

Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov heads the commission from the Russian side, Maria Zakharova noted

Russia-UK relations head south after Putin's Munich speech in 2007 — foreign intel chief

According to Sergey Naryshkin, it has been a gradual process

Route to Slavyansk opens from liberated Seversk — Putin

The head of state recalled that the Russian side had long ago urged the Kiev regime to withdraw its troops from the territories of the republics which do not want to live under nationalist control

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Belarus will not completely relocate its factories — Lukashenko

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Ukrainian soldiers’ morale collapses after corruption scandal — SVR

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West can simply steal countries’ gold and foreign exchange reserves — Lukashenko

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Putin’s Direct Line Q&A to take place on December 19

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EU elites put stake on anti-Russian policy — Russian intelligence chief

Sergey Naryshkin noted that leaders of certain European countries are "in a dangerous situation"

Desertion in Ukrainian armed forces grows — Russian intelligence chief

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Russia gradually returning to world sports — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that "this is a welcome process that can only be supported"

EU fixated on idea of stealing Russia's money to continue war in Ukraine — Kremlin

"It feels as if they can think about only one thing: how to find money to continue the war," Dmitry Peskov noted

EU summit fails to expropriate Russian assets, but may do so in future — von der Leyen

"The member states have agreed to finance Ukraine through an EU borrowing on the capital markets for an amount of 90 billion euro for the next two years," Ursula von der Leyen said

Dmitriev calls for resignation of Merz, von der Leyen after failure at EU summit

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Russia, Africa working to increase number of intergovernmental commissions

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