Trump urges Russia to help denuclearize North Korea
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, departs with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, after a media availability at the State Department, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, in Washington. AP-Yonhap
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday and urged Moscow to help ensure North Korea's denuclearization, the White House said.
Trump and Lavrov met a day before the U.N. Security Council is set to convene to discuss North Korea's recent missile launches and the possibility of a provocation by the regime.
The U.S. president "urged Russia to support United States efforts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and ensure the denuclearization of North Korea," the White House said in a readout.
The U.S. and Russia are both veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council but have opposing views on the extent to which sanctions should be used to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program.
Washington has led a "maximum pressure" campaign against Pyongyang, while Moscow has urged the U.S. to simultaneously offer concessions in exchange for denuclearization steps.
Analysts have suggested North Korea could step up cooperation with Russia and China if the U.S. refuses to show flexibility in their denuclearization negotiations by the end of the year. (Yonhap)