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WORLD NEWS Friday 26 april 2019

Putin says he’ll brief US on summit with Kim

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Pyongyang, for its part,
ERIC TALMADGE covets Russia’s electric-
Associated Press ity supplies and investment
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (AP) to modernize its dilapidat-
— President Vladimir Putin ed Soviet-built industrial
says he’s willing to share plants, railways and other
details with the United infrastructure. For Putin, the
States about his summit on summit was also seen as
Thursday with Kim Jong Un, an opportunity for Russia
potentially raising Russia’s to emerge as an essential
influence in the stalemated player in the North Korean
issue of North Korean de- nuclear standoff.
nuclearization. Moscow has kept a rela-
The two leaders’ first one- tively low profile as Kim em-
on-one did not indicate barked on what has been
major changes in North an audacious diplomatic
Korea’s position: Putin said journey over the past year.
Kim is willing to give up The Putin summit follows
nuclear weapons, but only four summits with Chinese
if he gets ironclad security President Xi Jinping, three
guarantees. with South Korean President
However, Putin said Kim Moon Jae-in and two with
urged him to explain the nu- Trump. Despite the current
ances of North Korea’s po- stalemate, Trump has said
sition to President Donald he would like to meet Kim
Trump. Such an interlocutor again. Moon said Thursday
role could be meaningful in Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un posing for a photo he will try to hold a fourth
light of Trump’s apparent prior to their talks in Vladivostok, Russia, Thursday, April 25, 2019. summit with Kim and facili-
admiration of the Russian Associated Press tate the resumption of U.S.-
leader. Trump has said he “And we will just as openly deal with North Korea and Pacific region,” he was North Korea talks.
“fell in love” with Kim, pos- discuss this issue with the has already indicated that quoted as saying by state Since Kim’s latest talks with
sibly indicating a proclivity U.S. leadership,” Putin said. he thinks he deserves the news agency Tass. Trump, in Hanoi, ended
to being swayed toward “There are no secrets. Rus- Nobel Peace Prize. Rus- It wasn’t immediately clear without any sign of prog-
accommodation with the sia’s position always has sia’s involvement in the is- what other agreements the ress, North Korea has ex-
North Korean leader, al- been transparent. There sue could bolster his con- leaders might have struck. pressed its open anger
though that declaration are no plots of any kind.” fidence, though some Along with a statement of with what it calls an exces-
came before the Trump- Putin’s remarks reflect Kim’s analysts think Washington political support, Kim was sively hard-line position by
Kim summit in Hanoi in growing frustration with and Moscow are too far es- believed to be looking for Trump’s top advisers in the
February that collapsed in Washington’s efforts to tranged. “For Russia, I don’t some kind of economic deadlocked negotiations.
disagreement. After Thurs- maintain “maximum pres- think it will deliver any le- support and possibly even Last week, it demanded
day’s summit in the Pacific sure” until the North com- verage with the U.S. simply a workaround to sanctions U.S. Secretary of State
port city of Vladivostok, mits to denuclearization. because the relations be- that will force more than Mike Pompeo be removed
about 75 miles (120 kilome- But his characterization of tween Russia and the Unit- 10,000 North Korean labor- from the talks and strongly
ters) from the North Korean Kim’s comments also sug- ed States are at such a low ers in Russia to leave by the criticized national security
border, Putin stressed that gests there have been no level,” Vasily Kashin, a re- end of the year. The labor- adviser John Bolton. There
Moscow and Washington major changes in North Ko- searcher at Russia’s Higher ers are a major source of in- have been reports that Kim
both want North Korea to rea’s basic position. School of Economics, told come for Pyongyang. has done some internal
abandon its nuclear weap- North Korea has all along The Associated Press. Putin said they discussed shaking up as well, possibly
ons. But, he said, the se- contended that it needs its Leonid Slutsky, chairman the issue and would find firing one of his own main
curity guarantees Kim de- nuclear arsenal to defend of the foreign affairs com- a solution taking into ac- negotiators.
mands in exchange should itself against what it sees mittee in the lower house count “humanitarian” fac- Though Kim appeared con-
be underwritten by multiple as U.S. hostility and wants of the Russian parliament, tors, though he didn’t say fident and respectful as he
countries, hinting at an concrete reassurances of saw the summit as burnish- what that would be. and Putin met for the first
arrangement like the six- its safety — including the ing Russia’s credentials. On the economic front, time, he comported him-
nation talks Russia partici- removal of the American “The fact that Kim Jon Un both sides share an interest self formally — creating a
pated in until their collapse nuclear threat as an inte- asked Vladimir Putin to brief in enhanced cooperation if scene reminiscent of old
in 2009. Putin later headed gral part of the denuclear- the Chinese and U.S. lead- sanctions are eased. Soviet-style meetings and
for a two-day trip to Beijing, ization of the entire Korean ership on the results of the Russia would like to gain a sharp contrast with his
where he said he will inform Peninsula. summit attests to Russia’s broader access to North more cordial summits with
the Chinese leadership Trump has made clear that significant role as a guar- Korea’s mineral resourc- Moon and, at times, even
about the summit. he is eager to work out a antor of security in the Asia- es, including rare metals. Trump.q