Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would require “security guarantees” in order to abandon his nuclear program, following the first ever summit between the two leaders. Putin and Kim promised to forge stronger ties during a two-hour meeting in the Russian city of Vladivostok, where the Russian president also offered to help break the deadlock over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme. Russia opposes the west’s sanctions-led approach but, like China, wants to see North Korea roll back its nuclear programme. “There are calm, non-confrontational solutions.”Russia’s trade with North Korea is minuscule at just $34m last year, mostly because of the international sanctions against Pyongyang. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Russian president Vladimir Putin in talks with then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during their meeting in Vladivostok in 2002.

Source: The Guardian April 25, 2019 04:11 UTC