Expert: Russia Trying to Influence North Korea

(30 May 2018) An expert on North Korea says Russia is sending its Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to North Korea in an effort to maintain influence in the region, even as talks between the U.S and North Korea could move forward. "They're attempting to sort of come late to the party, but I don't think that they're going to have a lot of success because they don't have a lot of assets at play here," retired Lt. Col. Daniel Davis said. Davis is a senior fellow with Defense Priorities, based in Washington, and served as as a U.S. advisor to the Second Republic of Korea Army (SROKA) while in the U.S. army. Davis said he doesn't think Russia will try to discourage North Korea from meeting with the U.S. because a positive outcome could have benefits for them as well, specifically in the area of trade. Russia also has historical ties with North Korea and shares a small border with the communist regime. The foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday that Lavrov would hold talks with North Korea's foreign policy chief to discuss bilateral issues as well as the overall situation on the Korean Peninsula. Lavrov's upcoming visit comes ahead of a possible summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un next month. Meanwhile, a senior North Korean official arrived in New York on Wednesday in the highest-level official visit to the United States in 18 years, as President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un sought to salvage prospects for a high-stakes nuclear summit. He is expected to meet with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...