North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday met for their maiden Summit at Russia's eastern port city of Vladivostok, amid a deadlock between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea's nuclear programme.
The Russian leader greeted Kim as the latter arrived at the federal university here for the talks. They also exchanged a few words before entering the venue.
Bilateral relations are expected to be a key focus of the Summit though no official word has come from either side on the agenda of the meeting. Kim and Putin are also not likely to sign any agreements or make any joint statement, according to CNN.
After his arrival for the talks, Kim told a Russian TV channel that he was hoping for a "successful and useful" meeting with Putin and would like to discuss the settlement of the situation in the Korean Peninsula.
This is the first meeting between leaders of the two countries in eight years. Former leader of North Korea Kim Jong-il, father of Kim Jong-un, had met then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in 2011.
The North Korean leader had travelled to Vietnam's capital Hanoi for his Summit with US President Donald Trump in February this year. The talks were reportedly a failure as the two sides were unable to reach an agreement over denuclearisation of North Korea.