By Yi Whan-woo
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has received an invitation to visit Russia, according to U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Dan Coats.
Coats’ claim adds to speculation that Kim may meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to bolster diplomatic leverage on North Korea’s nuclear program before a planned inter-Korean summit on April 27.
Kim, who visited Chinese President Xi Jinping in late March, is scheduled to send his Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho to Russia next week.
Russian news agency TASS reported that on Wednesday Coats mentioned Kim’s invitation to Moscow when asked about the possibility of resuming the six-party talks on North Korea’s denuclearization in the wake of the Kim-Xi meeting.
TASS said the DNI chief told reporters in Washington, D.C., he is trying to discover what the North Korean leader intends to discuss in Russia.
He also said it was unknown if the six-party talks will be resumed. The two Koreas, the U.S., China and Russia are six-party talk members, along with Japan.
Coats said he has not come across any announcement or evidence indicating a possible easing of Chinese trade sanctions on Pyongyang following Kim’s Beijing trip.
Meanwhile, several Russian officials rejected speculation of a possible meeting between Kim and Putin.
Oleg Burmistrov, Russia’s ambassador-at-large, said it is “unheard of” when asked about Kim’s invitation during a security forum in Moscow, Thursday.
On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a Russia-North Korea summit is not yet on Putin’s calendar and no relevant issues have been discussed.
Ri is set to fly to Moscow on April 9 for a three-day trip. He is expected to discuss bilateral relations, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and a possible summit between the leaders of the two countries.
Kim secretly visited Beijing from March 25 to 27 and met Xi in what was seen as a move to secure diplomatic leverage before talks with Seoul and Washington. Kim is also scheduled to hold a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in May.