US, Russia ‘share same objective’ on N Korea: Pompeo

Sochi (Russia), May 15

The United States and Russia share the same goals on North Korea as Washington tries to negotiate a nuclear deal, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said after talks with President Vladimir Putin.

“I think we share the same objective and I hope that we can find ways that we can work together,” Pompeo told reporters after the talks late Tuesday in the Russian resort of Sochi.

“He understands that the US is going to be in the lead, but I think there are places we can work together,” Pompeo said.

During their nearly two-hour talk in Putin’s summer home, Pompeo said they spoke at length about North Korea, weeks after Putin held a summit with leader Kim Jong Un in the Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok.

Kim used the occasion to accuse the United States of acting in “bad faith” after his second summit with President Donald Trump ended in stalemate in Hanoi.

Pompeo, who visited Pyongyang four times last year, has taken a leading role in seeking to negotiate an accord with North Korea under which the authoritarian state will give up its nuclear arsenal.

In a key point of contention, Pompeo has rebuffed demands from North Korea, which has the backing of Russia and China, for an early lifting of sanctions before a final deal. — AFP