MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. Russia hails any steps aimed at reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, commenting on Sunday’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"President Putin and the Russian side as a whole have been rather consistently calling on the interested parties to show restraint and a constructive approach and take steps, which would not push the sides to a corner. As for the meeting itself, no doubt, we welcome it and we are ready to welcome any steps and meetings leading to reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and drawing us nearer to denuclearization in this region," Peskov said.
However, Peskov ruled out holding a four-way summit on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula involving Russia, China, North Korea and the United States. "No, there is no talk about this," he noted.
During his visit to South Korea on June 30, Trump visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the border with North Korea where he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump became the first incumbent US president to set foot on North Korea’s soil. The talks between the US president and the North Korean leader lasted for about an hour.
One of the major outcomes of Trump’s visit to the DMZ was an agreement between the US and North Korea to resume working-level talks on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula within the next two or three weeks. The US delegation will be led by US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun.
Trump noted that at this stage there was no talk about lifting US sanctions. He pledged, however, that in the future he would be ready to cancel restrictions in the event of progress at the talks.