Meeting with North Korean leader gives Putin more leverage

MOSCOW (AP) — For Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offers a chance to raise Moscow's clout in the region and gain more leverage with Washington.

While Russia's ability to influence Kim's position is limited compared to that of China, a dialogue with Kim could allow Putin to emerge as an essential player in the North Korean nuclear standoff.

With Russia-U.S. ties at their post-Cold War low over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and Russia's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the crisis over North Korea is a rare subject where Moscow and Washington could find some common ground and engage in political dialogue.

"There are areas where Washington and Moscow can and do cooperate, and North Korea is one of those areas," said Dmitri Trenin, the director of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

He noted that Putin wants to send a message to Washington — as well as Beijing and Seoul — that "Russia should be factored in when Korean issues are discussed."

Moscow's involvement comes at a tense moment when talks between Washington and Pyongyang are on hold following the failure of U.S. President Donald Trump's summit with Kim in Hanoi. For Kim, the meeting with Putin would be a win even if he just gets a cautious statement of solidarity with the North, or a rebuttal of Washington's policies.

"Right now, after the failure of the Hanoi Summit, Russia can play a role," said Georgy Toloraya, a former Russian diplomat who has extensive experience in the North Korean affairs. "That would be very useful. If Putin ever meets Trump, it will be one of the issues on the agenda."

Russia has a border with North Korea and, like the U.S., strongly opposes Pyongyang's nuclear bid.

"Russia is worried that Korea could become potentially a battleground for a new conflict ... potentially with nuclear overtones," Trenin said. "It is also worried that the North Korean nuclear and missile programs could lead to accidents that could endanger Russian security."

Moscow has argued that the crisis should be settled through U.S. providing security guarantees to the North and easing sanctions against Pyongyang.

Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov hailed the importance of U.S.-North Korean talks and promised Tuesday that the Kremlin will seek to "strengthen the positive trends and work to create preconditions and positive atmosphere for reaching solid agreements."

Putin has welcomed Trump's meetings with Kim, but urged the U.S. to do more to assuage Pyongyang's security concerns.

Trenin predicted that Putin "will try to steer the North Korean leader toward a productive, constructive dialogue with the U.S," but added that "Russia will not go out of its way to help the U.S. to try to push Pyongyang closer to accepting Washington's view."

"We don't need to punish North Korean people or even elite, we need to find a new way for them to be incorporated into the modern world," Toloraya said. "The U.S. knows that we don't have our own egoistic interests in North Korea, unlike China."

A supportive statement from Putin would be a big gift for Kim, who is also hoping to woo Russian investment to help build up its infrastructure.

Russia's past efforts to engage the North haven't always been successful.

Moscow maintained strong ties with Pyongyang during the Soviet era, building dozens of factories, sending supplies and providing weapons. Those ties fell apart after the 1991 Soviet collapse, with Russia withdrawing its support for former Soviet allies amid an economic meltdown.

Putin visited Pyongyang months after he was first elected in 2000. Seeking to steal the global limelight, Putin boasted about securing then-leader Kim Jong Il's promise to abandon Pyongyang's missile program in exchange for foreign help in launching satellites, but he suffered a setback when Kim quickly disavowed his statement.

Despite the flop, Putin continued courting Kim, who crossed Russia by train to visit Moscow in 2001. The North Korean leader again visited regions in Russia's far east the following year, and made another trip across the border in 2011.

When Kim Jong Un came to power, the Kremlin hoped that he would visit Moscow to attend a 2015 Red Square parade marking the 70th anniversary of its WWII victory. Kim didn't show up.

Russia also was involved in the Chinese-led six-nation talks, aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for aid and security guarantees. The North withdrew from those talks in 2009.

For many years, Moscow has pushed for building a trans-Korean railway, natural gas pipeline and power lines — massive projects that would allow Russia to significantly increase its regional clout. No visible progress has been made.

While Russia's leverage with North Korea was dwarfed by that of China, Pyongyang's main sponsor and ally, the North has been wary of its overdependence on Beijing and willing to accept Moscow's engagement.

"China and the U.S. are two superpowers, and North Korea has a reason to stand up to both in different ways," Trenin said. "Russia is a country whose attractiveness to North Korea lies precisely in it not having major leverage. Russia has this potential of being seen as a relatively benign actor by the North Koreans."

Russian-North Korean military cooperation and most of the trade was stopped by United Nations sanctions, but Moscow supplied grain and provided humanitarian aid to the North, and tens of thousands of North Korean migrant laborers have worked in Russia's underpopulated Far East.

Toloraya warned against underestimating a role Russia could play in the standoff, saying that Moscow has taken a cautious line but could emerge as a top player if need be.

"We have the tools, we don't use them. If we would like to supply a dozen or so of S-400 (air defense missile systems) to North Korea, it will change the whole balance of power in Korea, it's just one example."

AP Pyongyang bureau chief Eric Talmadge contributed to this report from Tokyo. Francesca Ebel in Moscow contributed to this report.</s>SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon visit Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, North Korean state media said on Tuesday, with a Russian newspaper reporting they will meet on Thursday in Vladivostok.

The visit is part of Kim’s effort to build foreign support for his economic development plans, analysts said, after the breakdown of a second U.S.-North Korea summit in Vietnam in February meant no relief on sanctions for North Korea.

The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Tuesday the visit would happen soon, but did not elaborate on a time or location.

Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported the visit was scheduled for April 25 in Vladivostok. The newspaper cited two sources close to the process of preparing the visit.

There was no immediate comment on the report from the Kremlin, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Putin and Kim were on track to meet by the end of April.

Kim’s chief aide, Kim Chang Son, was seen in Vladivostok on Sunday, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

Russia has for years been involved in efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear program. It was involved in so-called six party talks - along with the two Koreas, Japan, the United States and China - that were last held in 2009.

NK News, a group that follows North Korea, showed photos on its website on Monday of preparations at Vladivostok’s Far Eastern Federal University, likely to host part of the summit, with workers putting up North Korean and Russian flags.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said it understood the agenda would include Russia-North Korea relations, denuclearization, and regional cooperation.

“Russia shares our viewpoints such as the achievement of complete denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and the settlement of permanent peace,” foreign ministry spokesman Kim In-chul said at a briefing in Seoul.

“I hope that the summit will be an opportunity that contributes to positive progress.”

After the failed Hanoi summit, Kim is probably looking to prove that he is still sought after by world leaders, and that he has more options, said Artyom Lukin, a professor at Far Eastern Federal University.

“Kim does not want to look too dependent on Washington, Beijing and Seoul,” he said.

“As for Russia, the Putin-Kim summit will reaffirm Moscow’s place as a major player on the Korean Peninsula. This meeting is important for Russian international prestige.”</s>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia's Vladivostok for a summit with President Vladimir Putin.

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia's Vladivostok for a summit with President Vladimir Putin.</s>Meeting with North Korean leader gives Putin more leverage

MOSCOW (AP) — For Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offers a chance to raise Moscow's clout in the region and gain more leverage with Washington.

While Russia's ability to influence Kim's position is limited compared to that of China, a dialogue with Kim could allow Putin to emerge as an essential player in the North Korean nuclear standoff.

With Russia-U.S. ties at their post-Cold War low over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and Russia's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the crisis over North Korea is a rare subject where Moscow and Washington could find some common ground and engage in political dialogue.

"There are areas where Washington and Moscow can and do cooperate, and North Korea is one of those areas," said Dmitri Trenin, the director of the Carnegie Moscow Center.

He noted that Putin wants to send a message to Washington — as well as Beijing and Seoul — that "Russia should be factored in when Korean issues are discussed."

Moscow's involvement comes at a tense moment when talks between Washington and Pyongyang are on hold following the failure of U.S. President Donald Trump's summit with Kim in Hanoi. For Kim, the meeting with Putin would be a win even if he just gets a cautious statement of solidarity with the North, or a rebuttal of Washington's policies.

"Right now, after the failure of the Hanoi Summit, Russia can play a role," said Georgy Toloraya, a former Russian diplomat who has extensive experience in the North Korean affairs. "That would be very useful. If Putin ever meets Trump, it will be one of the issues on the agenda."

Russia has a border with North Korea and, like the U.S., strongly opposes Pyongyang's nuclear bid.

"Russia is worried that Korea could become potentially a battleground for a new conflict ... potentially with nuclear overtones," Trenin said. "It is also worried that the North Korean nuclear and missile programs could lead to accidents that could endanger Russian security."

Moscow has argued that the crisis should be settled through U.S. providing security guarantees to the North and easing sanctions against Pyongyang.

Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov hailed the importance of U.S.-North Korean talks and promised Tuesday that the Kremlin will seek to "strengthen the positive trends and work to create preconditions and positive atmosphere for reaching solid agreements."

Putin has welcomed Trump's meetings with Kim, but urged the U.S. to do more to assuage Pyongyang's security concerns.

Trenin predicted that Putin "will try to steer the North Korean leader toward a productive, constructive dialogue with the U.S," but added that "Russia will not go out of its way to help the U.S. to try to push Pyongyang closer to accepting Washington's view."

"We don't need to punish North Korean people or even elite, we need to find a new way for them to be incorporated into the modern world," Toloraya said. "The U.S. knows that we don't have our own egoistic interests in North Korea, unlike China."

A supportive statement from Putin would be a big gift for Kim, who is also hoping to woo Russian investment to help build up its infrastructure.

Russia's past efforts to engage the North haven't always been successful.

Moscow maintained strong ties with Pyongyang during the Soviet era, building dozens of factories, sending supplies and providing weapons. Those ties fell apart after the 1991 Soviet collapse, with Russia withdrawing its support for former Soviet allies amid an economic meltdown.

Putin visited Pyongyang months after he was first elected in 2000. Seeking to steal the global limelight, Putin boasted about securing then-leader Kim Jong Il's promise to abandon Pyongyang's missile program in exchange for foreign help in launching satellites, but he suffered a setback when Kim quickly disavowed his statement.

Despite the flop, Putin continued courting Kim, who crossed Russia by train to visit Moscow in 2001. The North Korean leader again visited regions in Russia's far east the following year, and made another trip across the border in 2011.

When Kim Jong Un came to power, the Kremlin hoped that he would visit Moscow to attend a 2015 Red Square parade marking the 70th anniversary of its WWII victory. Kim didn't show up.

Russia also was involved in the Chinese-led six-nation talks, aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for aid and security guarantees. The North withdrew from those talks in 2009.

For many years, Moscow has pushed for building a trans-Korean railway, natural gas pipeline and power lines — massive projects that would allow Russia to significantly increase its regional clout. No visible progress has been made.

While Russia's leverage with North Korea was dwarfed by that of China, Pyongyang's main sponsor and ally, the North has been wary of its overdependence on Beijing and willing to accept Moscow's engagement.

"China and the U.S. are two superpowers, and North Korea has a reason to stand up to both in different ways," Trenin said. "Russia is a country whose attractiveness to North Korea lies precisely in it not having major leverage. Russia has this potential of being seen as a relatively benign actor by the North Koreans."

Russian-North Korean military cooperation and most of the trade was stopped by United Nations sanctions, but Moscow supplied grain and provided humanitarian aid to the North, and tens of thousands of North Korean migrant laborers have worked in Russia's underpopulated Far East.

Toloraya warned against underestimating a role Russia could play in the standoff, saying that Moscow has taken a cautious line but could emerge as a top player if need be.

"We have the tools, we don't use them. If we would like to supply a dozen or so of S-400 (air defense missile systems) to North Korea, it will change the whole balance of power in Korea, it's just one example."

AP Pyongyang bureau chief Eric Talmadge contributed to this report from Tokyo. Francesca Ebel in Moscow contributed to this report.</s>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea confirmed Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un will soon visit Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin in a summit that comes at a crucial moment for tenuous diplomacy meant to rid the North of its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea has so far not gotten what it wants most from the recent flurry of high-level summitry between Kim and various world leaders — namely, relief from crushing international sanctions. There are fears that a recent North Korean weapon test and a series of jibes at Washington over deadlocked nuclear negotiations mean that Pyongyang may again return to the nuclear and long-range missile tests that had many in Asia fearing war in 2017.

The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency released a terse, two-sentence statement saying Kim "will soon pay a visit to the Russian Federation," and that he and Putin "will have talks." A date for the meeting was not released, and it wasn't clear if Kim would fly or take his armored train. There are some indications the meeting will be held this week in the far-eastern port of Vladivostok, not too far from Russia's border with the North.

The Kremlin said in a brief statement last week that Kim will visit Russia "in the second half of April," but gave no further details.

It's not clear how — or even if — Putin will push the stalled nuclear talks along, and the visit may have more to do with each nation's economic interests. Russia is interested in gaining broader access to North Korea's mineral resources, including rare metals. Pyongyang, for its part, covets Russia's electricity supplies and wants to attract Russian investment to modernize its dilapidated industrial plants, railways and other infrastructure.

Kim and President Donald Trump have had two summits, but the latest, in Vietnam in February, collapsed because North Korea wanted more sanctions relief than Washington was willing to give for the amount of disarmament offered by Pyongyang.

For a leader often perceived by foreign media as isolated, Kim has had a remarkable string of summits, meeting with the leaders and other senior officials of South Korea, China, Vietnam and Singapore. He has also sent his deputies to Washington and received Trump's lieutenants in Pyongyang as part of nuclear talks.

But Kim's patience appears to be wearing thin. The North last week announced that it had tested what it called a new type of "tactical guided weapon." While unlikely to be a prohibited test of a medium- or long-range ballistic missile that could scuttle the negotiations, the announcement signaled the North's growing disappointment with the diplomatic breakdown.

The North also demanded that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed from the talks, and on Saturday criticized White House national security adviser John Bolton for calling on North Korea to show more evidence of its disarmament commitment before a possible third leaders' summit.</s>MOSCOW/VLADIVOSTOK: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Thursday in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok to discuss the international standoff over Pyongyang`s nuclear programme, a Kremlin official said. The visit is part of Kim`s effort to build foreign support after the breakdown of a second US-North Korea summit in Vietnam in February meant no relief on sanctions for North Korea, analysts said.

The summit will be the first between Putin and the North Korean leader. The nuclear row, and how to resolve it, would be the main item on the agenda, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. "In the last few months the situation around the peninsula has stabilised somewhat, thanks in large part to North Korea`s initiatives of stopping rocket testing and closing its nuclear test site," Ushakov said. "Russia intends to help in any way possible to cement that positive trend."

The North`s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim departed for Russia on Wednesday morning by private train. Kim is accompanied by senior officials including Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, KCNA said. Kim`s chief aide, Kim Chang Son, was seen in Vladivostok on Sunday, according to South Korea`s Yonhap news agency.

Vladivostok is the closest major Russian city to the short stretch of border that Russia and North Korea share and can be reached from the border by train, Kim`s preferred mode of international transport.

Russia has for years been involved in efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programme. It was involved in so-called six-party talks - along with North and South Korea, Japan, the United States and China - that was last held in 2009. "The United States and the international community is committed to the same goal - the final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea," a US State Department official said when asked about Kim`s latest summit.

"It is Chairman Kim’s commitment to denuclearisation upon which the world is focussed," he said.

The spokesman said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun would also continue their dialogue "to bridge any gaps on the way forward?."

South Korea`s foreign ministry said it understood the agenda would include Russia-North Korea relations, denuclearisation, and regional cooperation. "Russia shares our viewpoints such as the achievement of complete denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula and the settlement of permanent peace," foreign ministry spokesman Kim In-chul said in Seoul.

"I hope that the summit will be an opportunity that contributes to positive progress."

Kim Jong Un is probably looking to prove that he is still sought after by world leaders after the failed Hanoi summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and that he has more options, said Artyom Lukin, a professor at Far Eastern Federal University. The North Korean leader did not want to look too dependent on Washington, Beijing and Seoul, he said. "As for Russia, the Putin-Kim summit will reaffirm Moscow`s place as a major player on the Korean peninsula. This meeting is important for Russian international prestige," Lukin said.

Putin previously held a summit in Russia with Kim Jong Un`s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, in 2002. Kim Jong Il visited Russia again in 2011, when he was hosted by Dmitry Medvedev, the Putin lieutenant who at the time was serving as Russian president.

Online media that monitor North Korea reported that the venue for the summit would be the Far Eastern Federal University, on an island that is connected to the mainland part of Vladivostok by a bridge.

The bridge was built in time for the 2012 Asia-Pacific Cooperation Summit, which took place on the same site. The sports complex at the university was closed on Tuesday and workers were seen bringing in pieces of furniture, a Reuters TV crew at the site reported. A white tent had been erected next to the sports complex.

Security guards at the entrance to the campus were stopping and searching vehicles as they drove in. There were no signs of preparation at Vladivostok railway station. However at Khasan, a Russian settlement where the train line crosses the border, the state flags of Russia and North Korea were fluttering from the station building on Tuesday. A set of mobile steps for alighting from a train was positioned on the platform edge.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Wednesday he hoped to have concrete discussions about efforts to end the nuclear standoff in the Korean peninsula when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin for a summit this week.

“I hope the talks will be successful and useful,” he said in comments broadcast by Russia’s state-owned Rossiya 24 television station. “I hope that we can discuss concrete questions about peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula, and our bilateral relations,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.</s>SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin, North Korean state media said on Tuesday, and a Russian news report said the leaders will meet on April 25 in Vladivostok.

The visit is part of Kim’s effort to build up foreign support for his economic development plans, analysts said, after the breakdown of a second U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi in February led to stalled talks with Washington on the sanctions relief sought by Pyongyang.

The North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the visit will happen “soon,” but did not elaborate on the time or location.

Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday that the visit was scheduled for April 25 in Vladivostok. The newspaper cited two sources close to the process of preparing the visit.

There was no immediate comment on the report from the Kremlin, but spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Putin and Kim are on track to meet by the end of April.

Kim Jong Un’s chief aide, Kim Chang Son, was seen in Vladivostok on Sunday, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.

NK News, a group that follows North Korea, showed photos on its website on Monday of preparations underway at Vladivostok’s Far Eastern Federal University, likely to host part of the summit, with workers installing North Korean and Russian flags.

After the failed Hanoi summit, Kim is probably looking to prove that he is still sought after by world leaders, and that he has more options, said Artyom Lukin, a professor at Far Eastern Federal University.

“Kim does not want to look too dependent on Washington, Beijing and Seoul,” he said.

“As for Russia, the Putin-Kim summit will reaffirm Moscow’s place as a major player on the Korean Peninsula. This meeting is important for Russian international prestige.”</s>SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea confirmed Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un will soon visit Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin in a summit that comes at a crucial moment for tenuous diplomacy meant to rid the North of its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea has so far not gotten what it wants most from the recent flurry of high-level summitry between Kim and various world leaders — namely, relief from crushing international sanctions. There are fears that a recent North Korean weapon test and a series of jibes at Washington over deadlocked nuclear negotiations mean that Pyongyang may again return to the nuclear and long-range missile tests that had many in Asia fearing war in 2017.

The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency released a terse, two-sentence statement saying Kim "will soon pay a visit to the Russian Federation," and that he and Putin "will have talks." A date for the meeting was not released, and it wasn't clear if Kim would fly or take his armored train. There are some indications the meeting will be held this week in the far-eastern port of Vladivostok, not too far from Russia's border with the North.

The Kremlin said in a brief statement last week that Kim will visit Russia "in the second half of April," but gave no further details.

It's not clear how — or even if — Putin will push the stalled nuclear talks along, and the visit may have more to do with each nation's economic interests. Russia is interested in gaining broader access to North Korea's mineral resources, including rare metals. Pyongyang, for its part, covets Russia's electricity supplies and wants to attract Russian investment to modernize its dilapidated industrial plants, railways and other infrastructure.

Kim and President Donald Trump have had two summits, but the latest, in Vietnam in February, collapsed because North Korea wanted more sanctions relief than Washington was willing to give for the amount of disarmament offered by Pyongyang.

For a leader often perceived by foreign media as isolated, Kim has had a remarkable string of summits, meeting with the leaders and other senior officials of South Korea, China, Vietnam and Singapore. He has also sent his deputies to Washington and received Trump's lieutenants in Pyongyang as part of nuclear talks.

But Kim's patience appears to be wearing thin. The North last week announced that it had tested what it called a new type of "tactical guided weapon." While unlikely to be a prohibited test of a medium- or long-range ballistic missile that could scuttle the negotiations, the announcement signaled the North's growing disappointment with the diplomatic breakdown.

The North also demanded that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed from the talks, and on Saturday criticized White House national security adviser John Bolton for calling on North Korea to show more evidence of its disarmament commitment before a possible third leaders' summit.</s>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia's Vladivostok for a summit with President Vladimir Putin.

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia's Vladivostok for a summit with President Vladimir Putin.
Korean Central News Agency confirms North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will soon visit Russia for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.