Russia is urging North Korea to take substantial steps for the resumption of the stalled six-way nuclear talks.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin recently visited Pyongyang where he met with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun.

During their talks, Borodavkin said the nuclear negotiations are crucial to resolving the North’s nuclear standoff and that in order to reopen the talks, Pyongyang must allow the international community to conduct inspections of the North’s nuclear facilities.

The Russian official also urged the North to immediately suspend its production and tests of nuclear arms and its launch of rockets. He called on the North to return to the six-way nuclear talks without preconditions in line with the spirit of the September 19th, 2005 Joint Statement.

Borodavkin noted that Russia accepted Pyongyang’s request for food aid and is planning to expand the funds it devotes to North Korean food assistance to some five million U.S. dollars. He added that Moscow is also considering offering additional food aid on humanitarian grounds.