Leaders of Russia and North Korea sat down for a historic summit in Vladivostok, Russia, expressing hope it will revive the peace process in the Korean Peninsula, according to Russia Today (RT).
After the meeting Putin called the talks 'substantial', while Kim described them as 'meaningful', the BBC reported.
In brief public remarks before the talks, the two leaders expressed hope the summit will help move forward the reconciliation process in the Korean Peninsula.
Kim said he hoped the Vladivostok summit would be a “milestone” in the talks about denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, but also build upon “traditionally friendly ties” between Russia and North Korea.
The historic summit takes place less than two months after Kim’s second summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi fell apart without a breakthrough. The US rejected North Korea’s request for partial sanctions relief in return for moves to dismantle nuclear and missile programs; Washington insists on full disarmament before any sanctions are removed.
According to AFP, Putin emerged from the talks saying that Russia supports efforts to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula and prevent nuclear conflicts.
But he insisted that Pyongyang needs guarantees of its security and sovereignty, and took a veiled swipe at Washington for trying to strong-arm North Korea.
"We need to... return to a state where international law, not the law of the strongest, determines the situation in the world," Putin said.
Kim said he hoped to turn the modern relationship with Moscow into a "more stable and sound one" while Putin said the visit would give a boost to diplomatic and economic ties.
Russia has already called for the sanctions to be eased, while the US has accused it of trying to help Pyongyang evade some of the measures -- accusations Russia denies.
There were no concrete announcements or agreements, but analysts said Thursday's meeting was valuable to both sides, AFP further noted.
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