Experts say DPRK top leader will ask for Moscow's support over nuclear standoff

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's top leader Kim Jong-un's first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to "consolidate a positive trend" amid stalled DPRK-US talks about denuclearization, experts said.

On Wednesday morning, Kim's train arrived at Khasan train station on the DPRK-Russia border. Kim was greeted by senior Russian officials, Tass News Agency reported.

"My visit to Russia this time will not be the last one. It will only be a first move in the development of bilateral relations," Kim said, according to the Republic of Korea's Yonhap News Agency. Speaking to Russia's state-owned media Rossiya-24, Kim said he is hoping for a "successful and useful" visit and would like to discuss with his Russian counterpart "settlement of the situation in the Korean Peninsula" as well as bilateral ties with Russia.

The Kremlin said earlier that the summit is scheduled for Thursday in Vladivostok.

Beijing said on Wednesday it is pleased to see strengthened high level exchanges between Pyongyang and Moscow, which helps further enhance their bilateral ties as well as the peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.

"We wish the meeting between the leaders of the DPRK and Russia will be a success and will help resolve the Korean Peninsula issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a daily news conference.

China and Russia have always been in close touch with each other over the issue, and have worked together and invested a great deal of efforts in maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, Geng said.

Amid stalled nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, has told reporters that the main summit agenda will be cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow on the denuclearization front.

The summit marks Kim's first trip abroad since his second summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February fell apart due to a failure to bridge differences over the scope of Pyongyang's denuclearization and Washington's sanctions relief.