Russian President Vladimir Putin commended North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un for his “shrewd and mature” handling of escalating tensions between that isolated nation and the West over its nuclear program. “I believe, Mr. Kim Jong-Un has certainly won this round,” Putin said, according to the Russian state media outlet RT.
Putin’s comments came just days after North and South Korea held their first face-to-face meeting in over two years. The results of those talks were that North Korea agreed to send a delegation of athletes to the Olympic Winter Games which are to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea next month. The two countries also agreed to hold military talks aimed at reducing tensions on the peninsula, which have become heightened in recent months.
In a New Year’s Day speech, Kim Jon-Un said there was a nuclear button on his desk that he is ready to use, but also suggested that there should be a “melting” of North-South relations this year. Putin praised the North Korean leader for now looking to ease those tensions after they had escalated.