Top diplomats from South Korea and Russia discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula in the first such meeting between the two sides since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.

According to Seoul's foreign ministry on Saturday, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, met on Friday, local time, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.

Cho outlined Seoul's North Korea policy aimed at establishing peace and stability on the peninsula through easing of tensions and trust building, while calling for suspension of Moscow's continued military cooperation with Pyongyang.

He also sought Moscow's continued interest and cooperation toward protecting South Koreans in Russia, and called for a favorable environment to allow South Korean companies in the country to conduct business in a stable manner.

Lavrov, on the other hand, stated that military activities by the U.S. and its Asian allies' targeting the North were "provocative."

In a statement carried by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, Russia's foreign ministry said Lavrov also stressed that there is no alternative to establishing a mechanism that would guarantee long-term peace and stability in Northeast Asia other than through dialogue based on mutual respect.