U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Sochi Tuesday for talks with his Russian counterpart, along with other Russian officials,.. as the two sides look to improve their strained relations.
The two sides also discussed arms control and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other Russian officials in Sochi on Tuesday.
Prior to the meeting,... Pompeo made it clear that the Trump administration is committed to improving the Washington-Moscow relations.
The two sides reportedly held talks for about three hours.
Arms control was the main focus of their talks, but North Korea issues also came up.
According to Russia's top diplomat,... the focus on North Korea should not be solely on the denuclearization of the regime only,... but the peninsula as a whole.
Lavrov said Pyeongyang expects a security guarantee from the U.S. in return for denuclearization measures,... an issue the leaders of North Korea and Russia discussed in Vladivostok last month.
However, Pompeo emphasized the need to maintain sanctions on North Korea.
Despite their differences,... Lavrov said Russia will continue to promote dialogue between Washington and Pyeongyang.
Aside from Korean Peninsula issues,... Moscow wants to know how Washington plans to resolve the current tension with Iran,... which Lavrov says the U.S. created on its own.
Pompeo responded by saying the U.S is not seeking conflict with Iran,... but would respond if its interests were attacked.
Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day, Pompeo was told by Putin that Moscow is keen to improve ties with Washington.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.