Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia by train, a day before his much-anticipated summit with President Vladimir Putin that comes amid deadlocked diplomacy on his nuclear program.
Kim, dressed in a black coat and a fedora, met with Russian officials at Russia’s Khasan train station near its border with the North.
The official website of the Primorye governor released pictures of Kim stepping off the train and given the traditional Russian bread and salt at the station.
Speaking to Russia’s state-owned Rossiya-24, Kim said on arrival that he is hoping for a “successful and useful” visit and would like to discuss with Putin “settlement of the situation in the Korean Peninsula” as well as bilateral ties with Russia.
North Korea has increasingly expressed frustration at the deadlocked negotiations. Last week, North Korea tested a new weapon and demanded US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to be removed from nuclear talks.
Putin’s adviser added that the Kremlin would try to help “create preconditions and a favorable atmosphere for reaching solid agreements on the problem of the Korean Peninsula.”
