U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun will visit Russia this week to discuss North Korea's denuclearization.

The State Department said on Tuesday that Biegun will travel to Moscow from Wednesday to Thursday to meet with Russian officials and discuss "efforts to advance the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea."

The trip is drawing attention as it comes amid reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold their first-ever summit in Russia next week. 

Biegun is expected to explain the stalled negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang after their second summit in Hanoi and ask for Moscow's cooperation in the enforcement of sanctions against the North.