Russia has reportedly offered to provide North Korea with a nuclear power plant, should the regime give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
The Washington Post reported, citing U.S officials, that Moscow made the secret proposal last fall in an attempt to solve the deadlock between Pyeongyang and Washington.
The report said, as part of the deal, the Russians would operate the plant and transfer all byproducts back to Russia, reducing the risk that Pyeongyang could use the facility to make nuclear weapons.
The U.S. was reportedly aware of that discussion late last year, and the report called this an attempt by Moscow to "intervene" in the high-stakes nuclear talks.
The State Department, White House, CIA and other relevant departments declined to comment on Russia's proposal, and the Washington Post says it is unclear if the offer is still under negotiation or if it has affected the North Korea-U.S. talks.