Italy, Japan Agree on Importance to Hold Dialogue With Russia Over Ukraine

Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his Italian counterpart, Paolo Gentiloni, have agreed on a continued dialogue with Russia over the Ukrainian crisis while preserving anti-Russian sanctions, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

TOKYO (Sputnik) — The two ministers met as part of the ongoing two-day Group of Seven (G-7) meeting of foreign ministers in the Japanese city of Hiroshima that began earlier on Sunday.

"Both sides have stressed the necessity of fully implementing the Minsk agreements, on both Ukrainian and Russian sides, for resolving the situation in Ukraine. Regarding relations with Russia, they have stressed the importance of continuing the dialogue [with Moscow] while retaining sanctions [against Russia]," the ministry said in a statement.

The meeting, which is set to focus on countering terrorism, nuclear disarmament and shipping security, started in the absence of German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who also failed to attend a bilateral meeting with Kishida due to technical problems with his plane.

Earlier on Sunday, Steinmeier said that the G7 member states will consider Russia’s role in settling international conflicts next year and will decide on conditions for the country’s return to the Group of Eight (G8).

Russia walked out of the G8 group of the world’s largest economies after a rift with Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States over its alleged role in the conflict in Ukraine.