Russia's Lavrov says accepted invitation to visit North Korea

MOSCOW – Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said on Tuesday that he had accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang.

Lavrov told reporters after meeting his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho in Moscow that no decisions had been made on talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

He also said Russia welcomed what he called the gradual normalization of the situation on the Korean peninsula and supported contact between North Korea and the United States.