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April 26, 2019

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Putin: DPRK ready to denuclearize

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin said after his summit with Kim Jong Un yesterday that the DPRK leader is ready to proceed toward denuclearization, but needs solid security guarantees to do so.

Putin said that he will be willing to share details of the summit with US President Donald Trump, adding that “there are no secrets.” He noted that Kim himself encouraged him to explain certain nuances of Pyongyang’s position to Trump.

The summit on Russky Island, across a bridge from the far-eastern port city of Vladivostok, reflected Russia’s effort to emerge as an essential player in the DPRK nuclear standoff.

Putin emphasized that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea leader is ready to move toward a nuclear-free status but would only proceed when he gets solid guarantees.

He did not, however, specify what those guarantees would look like.

“Above all, he focuses on protecting national interests and security,” Putin said.

Earlier in the day, Putin voiced confidence that Kim’s visit will “help better understand what should be done to settle the situation on the Korean Peninsula, what we can do together, what Russia can do to support the positive processes going on now.”

Kim’s meeting with Putin follows a year of intense diplomacy the DPRK hopes will help it get out from under international sanctions over its nuclear weapons and long-range missile programs.

Kim has already held four summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping, three with South Korean President Moon Jae-on and two with US President Donald Trump. Kim’s second summit with Trump in February ended without any agreements.

Putin emphasized that he was willing to share details of the talks with Trump. The Russian leader said that Moscow and Washington both want Pyongyang to denuclearize. When he sat down for talks with Kim, he praised him for engaging in dialogue with the US.

“We welcome your efforts to develop an inter-Korean dialogue and normalize North Korea’s relations with the United States,” Putin told Kim.

Following their one-on-one meeting at the start of broader talks involving officials from both sides, Putin and Kim said they had a good discussion.

“We discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and exchanged opinions about what should be done to improve the situation and how to do it,” Putin said. Kim described the talks as “candid and meaningful.”

“The reason we visited Russia this time is to meet and share opinions with your excellency, President Putin, and also share views on the Korean Peninsula and regional political situation, which has garnered the urgent attention of the world, and also hold deep discussions on strategic ways to pursue stability in the regional political situation and on the matters of jointly managing the situation,” Kim said.

Looking confident, Kim also congratulated the Russian leader on his re-election to another six-year term last year.

“Ceaselessly bolstering and developing strategic and traditional relations between DPRK and Russia ... is my and my government’s firm and unwavering position,” Kim said later at a state banquet, where he made a toast.

Since the Trump-Kim talks in February ended without a deal because of disputes over US-led sanctions, there have been no publicly known high-level contacts between the US and DPRK although both sides say they are still open to a third summit.

Kim wants the US to ease the sanctions to reciprocate for some partial disarmament steps he took last year. But the US maintains the sanctions will stay in place until DPRK makes significant denuclearization moves.

DPRK has increasingly expressed frustration at the deadlocked negotiations. Last week, it demanded US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed from the talks and strongly criticized national security adviser John Bolton.

In Seoul, South Korean President Moon said yesterday he’ll try to hold a fourth summit with Kim and facilitate the resumption of US-DPRK talks.

Kim arrived in Vladivostok on Wednesday aboard his private train and offered what is possibly his first interview ever with a foreign media outlet.

He told Russian state television that he was hoping that his first visit to Russia would be “successful and useful.” He evoked his father’s “great love for Russia” and said that he intends to strengthen ties between the two countries.

The late Kim Jong Il made three trips to Russia, the last time in 2011.




 

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