News Departing Russian ambassador blames Japan for strained relations

Mikhail Galuzin also accused the United States of attempting to isolate Russia from the international community and of pressuring many countries into supporting a U.N. General Assembly resolution against Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. "The unfriendly action from the Japanese side unfortunately worsened our relations greatly. And now the future of our relation is uncertain," Galuzin said at a news conference in Tokyo. [...] Galuzin said Japan should take the initiative if it wants to reconcile with Russia. "The initiative should be from the side that destroyed the relations. So if and when the Japanese side feels that it is ready to present this initiative for the improvement of our relations, we will consider," Galuzin said.

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A letter issued earlier Friday by U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel and signed by 42 mostly European diplomats based in Japan demanded that Galuzin provide "honest and factually accurate" answers at Friday's news conference. Galuzin denied the letter's charge that Russia is occupying Ukraine, and countered that occupation is "what the United States is doing in many, many countries of the world, or had done in many countries of the world" including Syria and Iraq. He accused Washington of turning Iraq into a hub of terrorism, damaging and destabilizing the world. He also accused the United States and NATO of turning Ukraine into an anti-Russian state and driving more Ukrainian people into fighting and suffering.

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