Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed on Wednesday at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) to sign a peace treaty between Russia and Japan until the end of the year without any preconditions.

The Japanese government refrains from commenting on the statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hoped to conclude a peace treaty between the two countries by year-end, the Japanese Foreign Ministry told Sputnik on Wednesday, adding, at the same time, Tokyo's position on the issue remained same.

There will be some for whom the drive to repair the historic fabric of Mosul, torn apart in the struggle against Daesh, might appear premature at a time when bodies are still being recovered from beneath the rubble of this once vibrant city, more than a year after it was liberated.

Russia, Turkey and Iran, the guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire, discussed the situation in the Idlib province at a meeting with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, noting the maximum effort needed to avoid civilian suffering, Russian special presidential envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev said on Tuesday.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban plans to defend his country's interests during his visit to Brussels against the backdrop of Budapest facing EU sanctions for its refusal to adhere to EU standards in migration policy.

Russia should resume its activities in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and forward an application with the composition of the delegation in January 2019 if the organization amends its rules and cancels sanctions clauses in relation to the voting rights of national delegations, Russian State Duma international affairs committee chairman Leonid Slutsky said Tuesday.

The trade representatives of the United States and the European Union (EU) will meet again at the end of this month to discuss trans-Atlantic relations after a first round of "constructive" talks in Brussels, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said in a press release on Monday

apan intends to work closely with Russia to resolve the North Korean issue, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday