Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Says North Korea Is Open To Direct Talks With The U.S.

The Independent: North Korea open to direct talks with US, says Russia

Russia says North Korea wants 'security guarantees'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said North Korea is open to direct talks with the US and passed that message on to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Russian news agencies reported that while speaking at a summit in Vienna, Austria Mr Lavrov noted the talks would likely be contingent on “security guarantees.”

“We know that North Korea wants above all to talk to the United States about guarantees for its security. We are ready to support that, we are ready to take part in facilitating such negotiations,” Mr Lavrov said.

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Update #1: Russia says North Korea is ready for direct nuclear talks with the US (The Telegraph)
Update #2: Russia Says North Korea Wants to Talk to US, But Are Trump and Kim Ready? (Newsweek)

WNU Editor: Russia's ability to influence North Korea is minimal at best .... Russia says ready to exert influence on North Korea: Ifax (Reuters). China is the only country that has real influence on North Korea, and it is the intermediary that the U.S. is using. But North Korea told the Chinese emissary that was sanctioned to resolve this crisis to go and take a hike .... The Recent Chinese - North Korean Atempt To Resolve The Current Crisis Was A Bust (November 25, 2017). More here .... North Korea Snubs China By Sending President Xi's Special Envoy Back To Beijing Without Even Meeting North Korean Leader Kim Kong-un (November 21, 2017). Bottom line .... North Korea is not interested in having talks to resolve the current crisis.