The ultimate goal of Korean denuclearization cannot be reached as long as sanctions against Pyongyang are in place, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with his North Korean counterpart.

Amid ongoing negotiations on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Lavrov flew to Pyongyang on Thursday to hold talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho.

“In regards to sanctions, it is absolutely obvious that starting the whole conversation about the solution of the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula, we proceed from the fact that it cannot be complete until the sanctions are abolished,” Lavrov said following the talks.

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Stressing that it is “impossible” to ensure denuclearization in one move, the Russian foreign minister urged North Korean and US diplomats to use the “art of diplomacy” to achieve the desired outcome step by step.

Lavrov said that Russia welcomes the results of recent intra-Korean negotiations and the thawing of relations between North Korea and the US, as the countries prepare to hold a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his counterpart, Kim Jong-un.

“We welcome those contacts which have been developing between North and South Korea, North Korea and the United States,” Lavrov said. “We welcome the summits between Pyongyang and Seoul which have already taken place and the planned meetings at the highest level between the leadership of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the US.”

Russia is prepared to support any “concrete agreements” that might result from negotiations in the UN, provided they “meet the interests of all parties involved, including the DPRK,” Lavrov stated.

In the meantime, Moscow believes it should distance itself from the negotiation process and let North Korea conduct its own diplomacy with the United States.

Iran nuclear deal, Syrian & Ukrainian conflicts can’t be solved by ultimatums in the style of ‘Star Wars’ - Lavrov https://t.co/Evc5mcXHqy — RT (@RT_com) May 30, 2018

“I don’t think we should explore North Korea’s talking points that it plans to bring to the negotiations with the US. Expert consultations are underway in preparation for the talks, and we don’t feel like we are in a position to interfere with this process,” the foreign minister said.

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