Russian, North Korean leaders discuss denuclearization

MOSCOW (AA): Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un concluded their summit on Thursday with a formal reception.

Putin and Kim met in the Russian port city of Vladivostok to discuss bilateral relations and de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The closed-door talks lasted 3.5 hours.

Speaking to the participating delegations, Kim expressed hope that constructive dialogue will continue.

Putin praised Kim’s efforts toward reconciliation of the Koreas. “Thanks to numerous initiatives by Kim, the situation on the Korean Peninsula has been stabilized in the past months,” he said.

Putin told reporters he will discuss results of the summit with Chinese leaders in Beijing when he attends the Belt and Road meeting on Friday.

He went on to say he had discussed with Kim the construction of a railway and pipeline connecting Russia with the Koreas, adding that this will serve as a trust-building measure.

The Russian president said the time to convene six-party talks involving North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia, Japan, and the U.S. had not come yet.

Putin also made his first comments on last Sunday’s elections in Ukraine which show comedian Volodymyr Zelensky leading the presidential race.

He said Russia is open for constructive dialogue with Ukraine, adding that the results show outgoing President Petro Poroshenko’s policies “failed miserably”.

Putin rejected criticism on facilitation of Russian citizenship to the Donbass population in eastern Ukraine.

This is the first visit of the North Korean leader to Russia since 2011. It is also the first meeting of Putin and Kim.