NHK, April 9, 2018 — North Korea’s foreign minister has arrived in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart.

Ri Yong Ho didn’t speak to reporters before leaving the airport in a Moscow suburb by car on Monday morning.

He is expected to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday. Attention is focused on whether he will also meet with President Vladimir Putin during his stay.

North Korea is set to hold a summit meeting with the South on April 27th, and possibly with the United States by the end of May.

Observers say the North may be trying to win the support of other countries ahead of the planned summits as a means to guarantee the safety of its leadership and eliminate military threats.

They add that Russia apparently wants to demonstrate that it has influence over North Korea.