Published 19:21 IST, April 25th 2019
Vladimir Putin meets North Korea's Kim Jong-Un in Vladivostok, sends a big signal to Washington
In a view of de-escalating the reclusive nation's nuclear race, Russian President Vladimir Putin met up with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Thursday at Vladivostok, Russia. This was a clear message intended to Washington, that Russia was also engaging with North Korea's nuclear program.
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In a view of de-escalating the reclusive nation's nuclear race, Russian President Vladimir Putin met up with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Thursday at Vladivostok, Russia. This was a clear message directed at Washington, that Russia was also engaging with North Korea's nuclear program.
According to the international media agencies, the summit was split into two sessions. The first consisted of one-to-one talks between the two leaders with a few aides present and lasted for almost two hours.
On completion of the first session, Putin addressed the media and briefed them about the issues discussed which included the nuclear standoff currently adopted by North Korea.
“We talked, of course, about the situation on the Korean peninsula, we exchanged views on how and what we can do so that there are good prospects for an improvement in the situation,” said Putin.
Kim, who had travelled to Vladivostok by his armored train, addressed the media saying that the nuclear situation in his nation “is an issue that the world is very interested in.”
He added that his intent was to enhance North Korean-Russian relations with the passage of time.
“We wish to discuss issues of strategic stability and joint management of the situation in the future, and to develop our traditional relations to meet the demands of a new century,” he added.
Russian officials have indicated they will come out in support of a resumption of the six-way talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear program, a long-standing format that had been sidelined by the Trump-Kim diplomatic push.
This summit is seen as a major victory for Kremlin as a global diplomatic player, despite efforts by the United States and other Western states to isolate it. The summit also follows after the breakdown in US-North Korean talks when Kim’s summit with U.S. President Donald Trump ended in disagreement, in February.
18:56 IST, April 25th 2019