Russian security official cheers progress in Korean Peninsula settlement

MOSCOW - Moscow welcomes on Thursday the positive developments on the Korean Peninsula ahead of a summit between the top leaders of Pyongyang and Seoul.

"Pyongyang has declared a moratorium on testing nuclear and missile weapons, while the number of exercises its opponents conduct has been cut, although it would be better if they dropped them altogether," TASS news agency quoted Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev as saying at a news briefing in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

He pointed out that the development in the region is proceeding in accordance with the road map on the settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue proposed by China and Russia.

"This is good and we welcome it," Patrushev said.

The road map includes simultaneous suspension of nuclear and missile tests by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and military exercises in the region by the United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

The DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-un and ROK President Moon Jae-in will hold their first meeting on Friday in the ROK side of the military demarcation line dividing the two Koreas.