Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi on Friday, October 30, in Atlanta, where the two leaders were on the sidelines of a Group of 20 foreign ministers' gathering, and urged Tokyo to abandon its unfriendly policy toward the Kremlin and resume full‑scale dialogue.
The meeting, arranged at the request of the Japanese side, followed Japan’s decision to join Western sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, a shift that has increased tensions between the two countries.
According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lavrov said that Tokyo needs to step away from a hostile posture that obstructs constructive engagement.
Motegi was the first Japanese foreign minister to meet Lavrov since September 2021, when their last formal conversation took place on the sidelines of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said this outreach reflects an attempt to rebuild dialogue after months of strained relations, with the latest meeting taking place on a global stage that gathered leaders from 20 major economies.