North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of North Korea's foundation in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this undated photo released September 10, 2018 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a letter of invitation to visit Russia to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on Monday.

He added no detailed plans of a meeting between the two leaders are being discussed at the moment. </s> VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) — The Latest on the summit between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un (all times local):

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia's Vladivostok for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kim arrived on his armored train, which pulled into the station in the Pacific port of Vladivostok Wednesday evening. He was greeted by a military orchestra before he got into his personal limousine that traveled with him, and drove away.

Kim's Russia trip comes about two months after his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump failed because of disputes over U.S.-led sanctions on the North.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia for his summit with President Vladimir Putin in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok.

Russian news agency Tass quoted a local official as saying Kim was given flowers, bread and salt at the Hasan train station after crossing the border.

Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian media Tuesday that the summit Thursday will focus on North Korea's nuclear program.

Kim's Russia trip comes about two months after his second summit with President Donald Trump failed because of disputes over U.S.-led sanctions on the North.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said Kim was seen off by officials and residents as he left Pyongyang by his special train at dawn Wednesday. </s> North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia's Vladivostok for a summit with President Vladimir Putin.

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia's Vladivostok for a summit with President Vladimir Putin. </s> MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a much-anticipated summit Thursday, the Kremlin said, ending weeks of speculation about the meeting’s timing and venue.

Preparations for the meeting in Vladivostok, a Russia city on the Pacific, were held in secrecy because of North Korean security concerns, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday.

Ushakov said the talks would focus on the standoff over the North’s nuclear program, noting that Russia will seek to “consolidate the positive trends” stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump’s meetings with Kim.

Kim left Pyongyang by his special train at dawn Wednesday as he heads to Russia with top government and military officials, according to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency. It said officials and residents gathered at Pyongyang’s train station to see him off.

Kim will be the first North Korean leader to travel to Russia since his late father, Kim Jong Il, visited in 2011.

Kim Jong Un had two summits with Trump, but the latest in Vietnam in February collapsed because North Korea wanted more relief from sanctions than Washington was willing to give for the amount of nuclear disarmament offered by Pyongyang.

Some experts say Kim could try to bolster his country’s ties with Russia and China as he’s increasingly expressed frustration at the lack of U.S. steps to match the partial disarmament steps he took last year.

It’s not clear how big of a role Russia can play in efforts to restart the nuclear diplomacy. But the summit could allow Putin to try to increase his influence in regional politics and the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear program.

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,” Ushakov said.

Ushakov pointed at a Russia-China roadmap that offered a step-by-step approach to solving the nuclear standoff and called for sanctions relief and security guarantees to Pyongyang. He noted that the North’s moratorium on nuclear tests and scaling down of U.S.-South Korean military drills helped reduce tensions and created conditions for further progress.

Ushakov said that Putin-Kim summit’s agenda will also include bilateral cooperation. He added that Russia’s trade with North Korea is minuscule at just $34 million last year, mostly because of the international sanctions against Pyongyang.

Russia would like to gain broader access to North Korea’s mineral resources, including rare metals. Pyongyang, for its part, covets Russia’s electricity supplies and wants to attract Russian investment to modernize its dilapidated Soviet-built industrial plants, railways and other infrastructure.

In the meantime, Vladivostok has been seeing a number of unusually strict security measures. Maritime authorities said Tuesday that the waters around Russky Island, off the southern tip of Vladivostok, would be closed to all maritime traffic between Wednesday morning and Friday morning.

The island, which is home to a university with a conference hall, is seen as a likely summit venue.

Separately, local media reported that some platforms at Vladivostok’s main train station would be closed for several days, and that buses will be rerouted from the train station Wednesday.

News website Vl.ru reported that municipal authorities undertook road works to make the entryway in and out of the train station less steep — presumably to allow Kim’s limousine to drive straight out from the platform.

North Korea has so far not gotten what it wants most from the recent flurry of high-level summitry between Kim and various world leaders — namely, relief from crushing international sanctions. There are fears that a recent North Korean weapon test and a series of jibes at Washington over deadlocked nuclear negotiations mean that Pyongyang may again return to the nuclear and long-range missile tests that had many in Asia fearing war in 2017.

North Korea announced last week that it had tested what it called a new type of “tactical guided weapon.” While unlikely to be a prohibited test of a medium- or long-range ballistic missile that could scuttle the negotiations, the announcement signaled the North’s growing disappointment with the diplomatic breakdown.

Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> MOSCOW — The Latest on Kim-Putin meeting (all times local):

A Kremlin adviser says that President Vladimir Putin will meet the North Korean leader in Russia's Far East on Thursday.

Yuri Ushakov told Russian news agencies on Tuesday that the much-anticipated talks between Putin and Kim Jong Un would be held in Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean and would focus on North Korea's nuclear program.

Local media have reported preparations and strict security measures undertaken in Vladivostok where the Korean leader is expected to arrive by train.

Kim had two summits with U.S. President Donald Trump, but the latest one in Vietnam in February collapsed because North Korea wanted more sanctions relief than the United States was willing to give for the amount of nuclear disarmament.

Preparations are underway for a summit between the leader of North Korea and Russia's president.

The Kremlin confirmed earlier this month that Kim Jong Un would meet with President Putin before the end of the month but has not named the place or date, citing security concerns.

Russia's port city of Vladivostok on the Pacific Ocean, in the meantime, is seeing a number of unusually strict security measures.

Maritime authorities said on Tuesday that the waters around Russky Island, the likely summit venue, will be closed for all maritime traffic between Wednesday morning and Friday morning. Separately, local media reported that several platforms at Vladivostok's main train station will be closed for several days.

Kim, like his father, avoids air travel and is likely to travel to Vladivostok by train. </s> MOSCOW/VLADIVOSTOK: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet on Thursday in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok to discuss the international standoff over Pyongyang`s nuclear programme, a Kremlin official said. The visit is part of Kim`s effort to build foreign support after the breakdown of a second US-North Korea summit in Vietnam in February meant no relief on sanctions for North Korea, analysts said.

The summit will be the first between Putin and the North Korean leader. The nuclear row, and how to resolve it, would be the main item on the agenda, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. "In the last few months the situation around the peninsula has stabilised somewhat, thanks in large part to North Korea`s initiatives of stopping rocket testing and closing its nuclear test site," Ushakov said. "Russia intends to help in any way possible to cement that positive trend."

The North`s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim departed for Russia on Wednesday morning by private train. Kim is accompanied by senior officials including Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, KCNA said. Kim`s chief aide, Kim Chang Son, was seen in Vladivostok on Sunday, according to South Korea`s Yonhap news agency.

Vladivostok is the closest major Russian city to the short stretch of border that Russia and North Korea share and can be reached from the border by train, Kim`s preferred mode of international transport.

Russia has for years been involved in efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programme. It was involved in so-called six-party talks - along with North and South Korea, Japan, the United States and China - that was last held in 2009. "The United States and the international community is committed to the same goal - the final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea," a US State Department official said when asked about Kim`s latest summit.

"It is Chairman Kim’s commitment to denuclearisation upon which the world is focussed," he said.

The spokesman said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun would also continue their dialogue "to bridge any gaps on the way forward?."

South Korea`s foreign ministry said it understood the agenda would include Russia-North Korea relations, denuclearisation, and regional cooperation. "Russia shares our viewpoints such as the achievement of complete denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula and the settlement of permanent peace," foreign ministry spokesman Kim In-chul said in Seoul.

"I hope that the summit will be an opportunity that contributes to positive progress."

Kim Jong Un is probably looking to prove that he is still sought after by world leaders after the failed Hanoi summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and that he has more options, said Artyom Lukin, a professor at Far Eastern Federal University. The North Korean leader did not want to look too dependent on Washington, Beijing and Seoul, he said. "As for Russia, the Putin-Kim summit will reaffirm Moscow`s place as a major player on the Korean peninsula. This meeting is important for Russian international prestige," Lukin said.

Putin previously held a summit in Russia with Kim Jong Un`s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, in 2002. Kim Jong Il visited Russia again in 2011, when he was hosted by Dmitry Medvedev, the Putin lieutenant who at the time was serving as Russian president.

Online media that monitor North Korea reported that the venue for the summit would be the Far Eastern Federal University, on an island that is connected to the mainland part of Vladivostok by a bridge.

The bridge was built in time for the 2012 Asia-Pacific Cooperation Summit, which took place on the same site. The sports complex at the university was closed on Tuesday and workers were seen bringing in pieces of furniture, a Reuters TV crew at the site reported. A white tent had been erected next to the sports complex.

Security guards at the entrance to the campus were stopping and searching vehicles as they drove in. There were no signs of preparation at Vladivostok railway station. However at Khasan, a Russian settlement where the train line crosses the border, the state flags of Russia and North Korea were fluttering from the station building on Tuesday. A set of mobile steps for alighting from a train was positioned on the platform edge. </s> MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a much-anticipated summit on Thursday, a Kremlin adviser said, putting an end to weeks of speculation about when and where it would take place.

Preparations for the meeting in Vladivostok, a Russia city on the Pacific, were held in secrecy because of North Korean security concerns, Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov told Russian news agencies on Tuesday.

Ushakov said that the talks would focus on the North's nuclear program. Russia would like to see progress on "positive trends" such as the North's commitment not to test ballistic missiles and would like to contribute to "a favorable environment to achieve solid agreements on the problem of the Korean Peninsula," Ushakov said.

There are also bilateral issues between the two neighboring countries.

Russia would like to gain broader access to North Korea's mineral resources, including rare metals. Pyongyang, for its part, covets Russia's electricity supplies and wants to attract Russian investment to modernize its dilapidated industrial plants, railways and other infrastructure.

In the meantime, Vladivostok has been seeing a number of unusually strict security measures. Maritime authorities said Tuesday that the waters around Russky Island, off the southern tip of Vladivostok, would be closed to all maritime traffic between Wednesday morning and Friday morning.

The island is home to a university with a conference hall, and is seen as a likely summit venue.

Separately, local media reported that some platforms at Vladivostok's main train station would be closed for several days, and that buses will be rerouted from the train station Wednesday.

News website Vl.ru reported that municipal authorities undertook road works to make the entryway in and out of the train station less steep — presumably to allow Kim's motorcade to drive straight out from the platform.

Kim, like his father, avoids air travel and is likely to travel by train to Vladivostok, about 419 miles south of Pyongyang.

Earlier on Tuesday, North Korea confirmed the meeting in a terse, two-sentence statement.

North Korea has so far not gotten what it wants most from the recent flurry of high-level summitry between Kim and various world leaders — namely, relief from crushing international sanctions. There are fears that a recent North Korean weapon test and a series of jibes at Washington over deadlocked nuclear negotiations mean that Pyongyang may again return to the nuclear and long-range missile tests that had many in Asia fearing war in 2017.

Kim had two summits with President Donald Trump, but the latest in Vietnam in February collapsed because North Korea wanted more sanctions relief than Washington was willing to give for the amount of nuclear disarmament offered by Pyongyang.

North Korea announced last week that it had tested what it called a new type of "tactical guided weapon." While unlikely to be a prohibited test of a medium- or long-range ballistic missile that could scuttle the negotiations, the announcement signaled the North's growing disappointment with the diplomatic breakdown. </s> Kim Jong Un arrives by train in Vladivostok for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin that is likely to focus on Pyongyang's nuclear program. </s> North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossed the border into Russia on Wednesday by train, Russian media reported, for his first trip there aimed at galvanizing support from President Vladimir Putin while nuclear talks with Washington are in limbo. Kim is expected to project himself as a serious world player with his first meeting with the Russian leader and at the same time seek assistance from a key ally to ease economic pressure brought on by U.S. and international sanctions.

The young leader will meet with Putin in the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok on Thursday with the nuclear stalemate with the United States topping the agenda, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said. "In the last few months the situation around the peninsula has stabilized somewhat, thanks in large part to North Korea's initiatives of stopping rocket testing and closing its nuclear test site," Ushakov told reporters. "Russia intends to help in any way possible to cement that positive trend." Arriving in an armored train at the Russian border station of Khasan, Kim was greeted with flowers and traditional gifts of bread and salt, the RIA news agency reported, citing an unnamed local government official. He then toured the Russian-Korean Friendship House located at the station, built ahead of a 1986 visit by his late grandfather and state-founder and leader Kim Il Sung who died in 1994, RIA said. "I hope the talks will be successful and useful," he said Wednesday in comments broadcast by Russia's state-owned Rossiya 24 television station. "I hope that we can discuss concrete questions about peace negotiations on the Korean peninsula, and our bilateral relations," he said, speaking through an interpreter. The North's official KCNA news agency reported earlier on Wednesday that Kim departed for Russia accompanied by key aides including Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and veteran nuclear negotiator Choe Son Hui.

Kim is seeking to rally support from Moscow after his second meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Vietnam in February broke down over differences about demands for Pyongyang to denuclearize and for Washington to drop sanctions. Kim would hope to get a break from crushing sanctions through his unprecedented summit with Putin but that is likely to prove elusive, analysts say. Japan's NHK broadcaster reported citing an unnamed senior Russian official that Putin could propose a restart of the six-party denuclearization talks — which involved the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas — last held in 2008. Kim's top security and protocol aides were seen making final checks around Vladivostok station, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. His chief of staff Kim Chang Son and sister Kim Yo Jong were also spotted in the Far Eastern city earlier this week, South Korean media reported. Vladivostok is the major Russian city to the northeast of the North's border with Russia, which can be reached by train, Kim's preferred mode of international transport. Conspicuously absent from the reported entourage was Kim Yong Chol, who had led talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Kim Yong Chol had been a prominent presence during the leader's four trips to China and two summits with Trump.

U.S. nuclear envoy Stephen Biegun visited Moscow last week for talks with his counterpart Igor Morgulov, which a U.S. State Department official said would continue "to bridge any gaps on the way forward‎." "The United States and the international community is committed to the same goal — the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea," the official said when asked about the Kim-Putin summit. "It is Chairman Kim's commitment to denuclearization upon which the world is focused," he said. Artyom Lukin, a professor at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, said Kim would want to be seen as a world leader who is not too caught up in ongoing dealings with Washington, Beijing or Seoul. The school's campus is expected to be venue for the summit. "As for Russia, the Putin-Kim summit will reaffirm Moscow's place as a major player on the Korean peninsula. This meeting is important for Russian international prestige," he said. Putin previously held a summit with Kim Jong Un's father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, in 2002, who also met in 2011 with Dmitry Medvedev, a Putin lieutenant who was then president. The sports complex at the university was closed on Tuesday and workers were seen bringing in furniture, a Reuters TV crew at the site reported. Security guards at the entrance to the campus were searching vehicles as they drove in.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov says that Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a letter to meet North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.