Story highlights Trump and Putin will focus on North Korea, an official said

The two will meet later this week in Vietnam

Tokyo (CNN) President Donald Trump will seek to enlist his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week on a mission to confront an increasingly truculent North Korea during their second face-to-face meeting.

Trump said aboard Air Force One as he winged toward Japan on Sunday that he expected the sit-down to occur on the sidelines of a summit for Asia-Pacific leaders in Vietnam, which is due to begin Thursday.

Trump and his aides had hoped this week's grueling itinerary through five countries would help distract from the Russia matter, though Trump himself appeared preoccupied by the issue as he departed the White House on Friday, unleashing a stream of tweets as Air Force One headed toward Hawaii.

While the timing of a meeting with Putin may force the Russia issue back to the forefront, Trump's aides determined face-to-face talks were essential while the two men were in the same city.

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