However, Putin abruptly dismissed this scenario at a press conference. Answering a question of a Japanese reporter about the "Northern Territories" that Russia "occupies," Putin said: "This is a problem - we were not the ones who created it - we inherited it from the past, but we sincerely want to solve it on acceptable for both countries terms. [FONT="楷体"]If you want to help us, we need to create trust. And if you want to prevent it, you can continue asking tough questions that will be hard to get straight answers to." [/FONT]The Russian President reminded that the Kuril Islands were populated by Russians, and the Russian authorities were obliged to take care of them.