Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sochi, Russia, May 6, 2016. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a territorial dispute involving a Pacific island chain was raised in a “constructive” way on Friday at talks between Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the RIA news agency reported.

The dispute, over a set of islands north of Hokkaido known as the Kuriles in Russia and referred to as the Northern Territories in Japan, is one of the main factors complicating the signing of a Second World War peace treaty between Russia and Japan.