Kim arrives for summit in Russia
NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia yesterday morning for his muchanticipated summit with President Vladimir Putin in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok.
North Korean media published photos of Mr Kim saluting an honour guard and waving to people carrying flowers at a rail station before boarding his khaki-green armoured train for the lengthy journey. Russian news agency Tass quoted a local official as saying Mr Kim was given flowers, bread and salt at the Hasan train station after crossing the border.
Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian media the summit today will focus on North Korea’s nuclear program, noting that Russia will seek to “consolidate the positive trends” stemming from US President Donald Trump’s meetings with Mr Kim.
Mr Kim’s Russia trip comes about two months after his second summit with Mr Trump failed because of disputes over US-led sanctions on the North.
Some experts say Mr Kim could try to bolster his country’s ties with Russia and China as he’s increasingly expressed frustration at the lack of US steps to match the partial disarmament steps he took last year.
It’s not clear how big of a role Russia can play in efforts to restart the nuclear diplomacy.