Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia a day before summit with Putin

Russian state media showed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s armored train arriving in Vladivostok on his first visit to Russia on Wednesday, a day before his first summit with President Vladimir Putin. The visit and talks are shrouded in secrecy. The summit will take place on the campus of the Far East Federal University on Russky Island, which is linked to Vladivostok by a bridge. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Kim will discuss questions surrounding North Korea’s nuclear ambitions as well as bilateral issues. Kim told a Russian state TV reporter he hoped to advance concrete efforts for ending the Korean Peninsula conflict.

US-North Korean diplomacy on denuclearization appears stalled. Since the last Kim-Trump summit in February, Pyongyang has asked the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to o longer be involved. After meeting Putin, Kim will take in the local sights and attend cultural events.