Asia Pacific
20:01, 25-Apr-2019
Putin: Kim wants denuclearization, but needs security guarantees
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that his Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) counterpart Kim Jong Un also wants denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula but his country needs security guarantees from the international community.
Those guarantees, if they are to work, would need to be offered within a multi-national framework, Putin said.
The two leaders held their first-ever summit in Russia's Far East city of Vladivostok, with "the situation of the Korean Peninusla" topping their agenda. Their meeting comes almost two months after the collapse of denuclearization talks with the United States, which ended early with no deal.
Putin: Six-party talks need to be back
A multilateral security cooperation mechanism is needed to support Pyongyang, the Russian president said, calling for the resumption of the six-party talks.
"If the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the U.S. can offer sufficient measures for (DPRK's security) guarantee, the six-party talks may not be operated. But the guarantee mechanism from the South and the U.S. does not seem to be sufficient," he said.
The six-party talks, a meeting between China, Russia, Japan, the U.S., the DPRK and the ROK, were first held in 2003, hoping to seek a solution for the skyrocketing tensions after DPRK's withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
Pyongyang pulled out from the talks on April 14, 2009, and announced that it would resume its nuclear program.
Putin, Kim 'pleased' with meeting
"We, me and my colleagues, are satisfied with the results of the talks," Putin told reporters after the summit ended.
Kim echoed the sentiment, calling the talk "candid and meaningful," while delivering his firm stance on strengthening friendship with Moscow.
ROK President Moon Jae-in hailed the dialogue later on Thursday, saying it is expected to be helpful to a regional peace process. The ROK leader also appreciated Putin's efforts for the Korean Peninsula issue.
Earlier, Moon had talks with Russian Secretary of the Security Council Nikolai Patrushev at the presidential compound. According to the ROK official Yonhap news agency, the Russian official said they would brief Seoul on the results of the Vladivostok summit as soon as possible.