VLADIVOSTOK, Russia — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he had “candid and meaningful” talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about how to promote peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region.

Kim said at the start of his dinner banquet with Putin in Vladivostok before making a toast: “The people of the two countries who share a valuable friendship that was created and strengthened while overcoming every hardship and challenge thrown to us by history have a deep understanding that the ceaseless development of North Korea-Russia ties not only serves our mutual interests but is also indispensable for securing the region’s peace and stability.”

He also says the people of North Korea “always have affectionate and brotherly emotions about the people of Russia and feel pride that a great country like Russia is a close neighbor.”