Putin meets Macron, says North Korea summit cancellation regrettable

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, said Thursday that North Korea fulfilled its promises ahead of the cancelled summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

At a joint news conference at the Konstantin Palace presidential residence outside St. Petersburg, Putin said the North Korean leader “did everything that he had promised in advance, even blowing up the tunnels and shafts” of the country’s nuclear testing site. “After which, we heard about cancellation of the summit by the United States.”

He said Russia regretted the development, adding that “we had very much counted on it being a significant step in sorting out the situation on the Korean Peninsula and that it would be the beginning of the process of denuclearizing the whole Korean Peninsula.”

Macron expressed hope that the efforts in Korea for “engagement toward a process of nonproliferation and denuclearization can continue.”

“France is completely disposed to help, but I think it’s for the entire international community ... and the United Nations has a particular role to play to work on it,” the French leader said.

Macron met with Putin amid deep differences between them over Syria, Ukraine and alleged Russian meddling abroad. But both men want to salvage the Iranian nuclear deal that the U.S. has withdrawn from.

Macron’s aides insist he is not cozying up to Putin or seeking to pivot away from France’s longstanding alliance with the U.S. in favour of one with Russia and China. Rather, they say Macron wants to keep a dialogue open to help solve world crises. France also wants Russia to use its influence with Iran to ensure it respects its nuclear commitments.