Russia Has No Plans Yet for Summit with Kim Jong-un

The Russian government last week said it is "not yet" considering a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to the TASS news agency.

"So far, a Russian-North Korean summit is not on the agenda. The Russian president has no such plans," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last Wednesday.

What is "under consideration" instead is a visit from North Korea's top diplomat, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the following day. "Things are currently under consideration but it is possible to say that the visit is an immediate prospect," she told reporters.

But she hinted that a meeting between Kim and Putin could eventually be on the cards, saying, "We consider equal and mutually beneficial contacts between countries as an important aspect of international relations. We believe any activity that may ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula should be welcome."

Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il flew to Moscow and to meet with then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in May 2011.

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