DPRK leader Kim arrives in Russia's Vladivostok for summit with Putin
The train of Kim Jong Un, leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has arrived in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok on Wednesday, according to reports by Reuters.
Kim is expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Far Eastern Federal University in the eastern Russian city on Thursday.
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Earlier, at a stopover on the border, Kim told Russian state television he was hoping for useful and successful discussions with Putin.
"I hope that we can discuss concrete questions about peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula, and our bilateral relations," he said through an interpreter.
DPRK leader Kim Jong Un (C) takes part in a welcoming ceremony at a railway station in the far eastern settlement of Khasan, Russia, April 24, 2019. /Reuters Photo
Kim will sit down for talks with Putin on Thursday at a university campus on an island just off Vladivostok, the first-ever summit between the two leaders, with the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear program topping the agenda.
The focus of the meeting will be on "a political and diplomatic solution to the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula," Kremlin foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Tuesday.
Russia had been involved for years in efforts to persuade the DPRK to give up its nuclear program. It attended the six-party talks – along with the DPRK, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, the United States and China – last held in 2009 with the hope of stabilizing the situation on the Korean Peninsula and cementing the positive trend.
Analyst said Russia tries to take this opportunity to show its political strength by serving as an important power broker in Asia. Considering the economic downturn in Russia, Russia also hopes the summit will bring Russia economic opportunities as it is also facing economic sanctions from the U.S.
Meanwhile, China confirmed Russia's great contribution in the talks and expressed its support to the upcoming Putin-Kim summit, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang on Wednesday.
He wished the meeting great success and expected it to advance the denuclearization and political settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issues.
The meeting comes two months after a summit in Vietnam between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump ended in failure, leaving the DPRK leader to seek international support elsewhere and relief from sanctions.
(With input from Reuters)