HEILIGENDAMM, Germany, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said here Thursday that Russia is ready to discuss all problems with Japan.

    Putin made the remarks during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the summit of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations.

    Putin said the dialogue between the two nations was developing, which he said is related to closer economic and political interaction.

    The two leaders are expected to agree to continue negotiations over a long-standing territorial dispute and to discuss plans for mutual visits in the near future.

    Russia and Japan have failed so far to settle disputes over the sovereignty of the islands of Kunashiri, Etorofu and Shikotan, and the Habomai islets, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia.

    The four islands were occupied by Soviet troops after the end of World War II in 1945 and are currently under Russian control.

    Tokyo has asked Moscow to return all four islands, but Russia rejected the demand and claimed the islands as its own territory.

    "We want to get rid of all thorns of the past, and look for a solution of that problem together with Japan," Putin said in an interview published on Monday.

    However, he said: ""We don't consider them (the islands) disputed, as that situation appeared as a result of World War II and is fixed in international law, in international documents, but we understand motives of our Japanese partners' behavior," Putin said.