Moscow, May 31 : North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today, Moscow said, in what is believed to be the first meeting between the head of the reclusive state and a Russian official.
“Lavrov was greeted by the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of DPRK Kim Jong Un during his visit to Pyongyang,” the Russian foreign ministry said on Twitter in English, releasing pictures of the two men shaking hands.
Lavrov passed greetings from Russian President Vladimir Putin to Kim, saying he wished him success in the “major undertakings that have been initiated on the Korean peninsula”, the ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov was the first Russian official to be received by Kim, Russian news agencies said. “It was the first official meeting with him face to face,” TASS quoted a source in the minister’s delegation as saying.
The Russian foreign ministry also released pictures of the two men shaking hands and smiling.
Russia’s top diplomat arrived in Pyongyang earlier Thursday, ahead of a landmark summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump.
