Russia calls for easing sanctions on DPRK

MOSCOW - Russia called for easing sanctions imposed on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) after Pyongyang agreed to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"A modification of the regime of sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council on the DPRK can, and should be, one of the most important components of normalization in the region," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said.

She told a news briefing that easing sanctions could become a serious factor contributing to political and diplomatic settlement in northeast Asia.

Zakharova said Russia also wanted the unilateral sanctions imposed on top of the UN bans to be lifted as well.

The UN Security Council imposed a series of economic sanctions against the DPRK after the latter conducted its first nuclear test in 2006.

In addition, several countries, including the United States, have imposed more sanctions of their own.

Kim Jong-un, the top leader of the DPRK, met US President Donald Trump for historic talks in Singapore on Tuesday and the two signed a joint statement.

In the statement, Trump committed to providing security guarantees to the DPRK, while Kim reaffirmed his commitment to completing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.