Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "at an early date", the North's state media reported Wednesday, amid a rapid diplomatic thaw on the peninsula. Putin invited Kim and the South's President Moon Jae-in in June to an economic forum in Vladivostok next month although it is not known whether the North Korean leader responded to the invitation.
In a message to Kim on the North's National Liberation Day - marking the end of Japanese rule over Korea at the end of the Second World War - Putin reiterated his intention for a summit. "I affirm that I am ready to meet you at an early date to discuss urgent issues of bilateral relations and important matters of the region," Putin said in a message carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
The message did not offer a specific date for the meeting. Putin expressed hopes to further develop "reciprocal cooperation including the realisation of the tripartite project" that would also involve South Korea. Kim also sent a message to Putin, KCNA reported, noting the "valuable tradition" of their joint wartime struggle against Japan was the "strong roots" of their bilateral relations.