PYONGYANG, North Korea — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday, during a trip seen as an attempt by Moscow to make its voice heard in its neighbor state’s new push for diplomacy.
Lavrov passed on best wishes from President Vladimir Putin and invited Kim to Russia, according to Russia's Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov also told Kim that Moscow supports peace and progress on the Korean Peninsula.
His visit to Pyongyang comes ahead of a planned summit between Kim and President Donald Trump.
Despite having a border with the North and relatively cordial relations Putin has seemed to want to develop further, Russia has so far remained largely on the sidelines as Kim has emerged onto the world stage this year.
Lavrov also met with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho.
One of Kim’s top lieutenants, former intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol, is visiting New York to discuss with U.S. officials the agenda for the summit planned in Singapore on or around June 12.