Lavrov-Kim meeting in Pyongyang is the first time the Korean leader met a top Russian official.
Sanctions against North Korea must be slowly eased as part of the process of its de-nuclearisation and all sides must meet each other half-way during negotiations, Russia’s foreign minister said.
On a visit to Pyongyang on Thursday – where he met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho – Lavrov called for the phased lifting of sanctions on North Korea, indicating Pyongyang would not give up its nuclear weapons until that happens.
“It is absolutely obvious that – as we start discussions on how to resolve the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula – it is understood that the solution cannot be comprehensive without the lifting of sanctions,” Lavrov said at a press conference.
“This cannot be achieved at one go. There can be no immediate denuclearisation – this should be done step-by-step and all sides should go halfway during every single phase of this process.”
Washington is pressing North Korea to quickly give up all its nuclear weapons in a verifiable way in return for lifting sanctions and economic incentives.
But analysts say North Korea will be unwilling to cede its nuclear deterrent unless it is given security guarantees that the US will not try to topple the regime.
Lavrov met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang on a trip seen as an attempt by Moscow to make its voice heard amid a flurry of negotiations over the North’s nuclear disarmament.
