Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that North Korea is taking a lot of steps toward de-nuclearising the Korean Peninsula but Washington is not responding and is making endless demands for full disarmament instead.
Washington and Pyongyang have been discussing North Korea’s nuclear programme since their leaders met in Singapore in June.
The summit’s outcome was criticised for being short on details about how and whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was willing to give up weapons that threaten the US.
Putin, speaking at an economic forum in the Russian port city of Vladivostok, said Pyongyang had taken
positive steps and is now waiting for a response.
He said it is counter-productive if one side does a lot and the other does nothing.
“If North Korea does something toward de-nuclearisation, it expects reciprocal steps and not endless
demands for full disarmament,” said Putin.
He said it is also important that North Korea receives international guarantees about its own
security and said Kim Jong Un is welcome to visit Russia at any time that is convenient for him.
The White House said on Monday that US President Donald Trump had received a letter from Kim Jong Un
asking for a second meeting.
(Reuters/NAN)
