Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, on Friday that Tokyo needs to abandon its unfriendly policy toward Moscow to resume full-fledged bilateral dialogue.

The two foreign ministers met at the request of the Japanese side on the sidelines of a Group of 20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, the United States.

Japan has joined Western sanctions against Russia and stepped up criticism of Moscow since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

The last formal meeting between Lavrov and Motegi took place in September 2021 on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.