TOKYO — Russia and Japan agreed today to hold talks on joint economic development of four islands at the center of a decades-old territorial dispute between the countries.

It was a small step forward that fell far short of breaking the stalemate in a dispute that has prevented Russia and Japan from signing a peace treaty formally ending their World War II hostilities.

Joint development “would help foster trust toward a peace treaty,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after two days of meetings in Japan.

Asked about developments in Syria, Putin said he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are working to launch a new round of peace talks in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

For Putin, the summit meeting was his first official visit to a G-7 country since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Abe, eager for progress on the territorial issue, invited Putin even though Japan and the other G-7 nations still have sanctions on Russia.

The dispute centers on four southern Kuril islands, which Japan calls the Northern Territories. The former Soviet Union took the islands in the closing days of World War II, expelling 17,000 Japanese to nearby Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands.

Abe said today that he has his own idea of what is right for the islands, as does Putin.

“If we just insist on our own justice, we can never resolve the problem,” he said. “We must make an effort to open a new future in Japan-Russia relations for the new generation.”

Putin said he did not know how the dispute could be resolved, but that the islands should be seen not as a point of contention but “a place that brings Japan and Russia together.”

In a statement, Japan and Russia said they will explore joint projects.