Kim Jong Un may meet with Vladimir Putin in Russia this month

Weapons talks between Russia and North Korea are advancing, with their leaders set to meet this month, a U.S. official said Monday.

An unnamed official said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would most likely travel from his country’s capital Pyongyang by armored train to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, where both are set to attend the Eastern Economic Forum that starts Sunday and runs through Wednesday.

Kim is also expected to visit Russia’s Pier 33, the Russian navy’s Pacific fleet docking spot, the official told The New York Times. The anniversary of North Korea’s founding — Sept. 9, 1948 — falls on Saturday.

National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson on Monday said Putin and Kim exchanged letters after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to Pyongyang over the summer to try to get North Korea to sell artillery ammunition to his country.

“We have information that Kim Jong Un expects these discussions to continue, to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” Watson said, adding that the U.S. is working to persuade North Korea “to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia.”

Potential joint military exercises might also be on the table, Reuters reported Monday. The exercises could also include China, officials have said.

With News Wire Services