A date for Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Democratic People's Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong Un is being discussed, RIA reported on Friday citing Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov.

It would be the first meeting between Putin and Kim.

Kim's travel plan was first revealed by Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in at a cabinet meeting earlier this month. The announcement came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Pyongyang and held talks with Kim.

Pompeo said the US and the DPRK agreed to arrange a summit between President Donald Trump and Kim as soon as possible and discussed potential US monitoring of Pyongyang's steps towards denuclearization.

Kim's visit to Russia comes in the midst of a tug of war between Washington and Pyongyang over when the DPRK should be entitled to rewards for giving up its nuclear weapons.

The DPRK has demanded timely rewards for giving up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, while the US insists sanctions should or could only be eased when Pyongyang completes full and irreversible denuclearization.

China, along with Russia and ROK, has made appeals to the international community to ease sanctions on the DPRK to encourage denuclearization.  

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