Could Russia replace China as power broker on North Korea?
2017-12-09 10:01:08 source：South China Morning Post
December 9, 2017
China on Friday said it welcomed Russia’s offer to set up direct talks between the US and North Korea over the escalating nuclear crisis, despite the move being seen by some observers as a sign of Beijing’s waning influence over its wayward ally.
In efforts to act as a power broker, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that Pyongyang was seeking direct talks with Washington and that Moscow was ready to support and promote them.
“We know that North Korea wants, first of all, to speak with the United States about its security guarantees,” Lavrov said in a statement carried by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Russian news agency TASS reported. “We are ready to support it. We are ready to help promote such talks.”
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