The Kremlin said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit Russia later this month for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

In a brief statement on Thursday, the Kremlin said Kim will make the visit at Putin's invitation.

The statement did not give further details, including the date and venue of the summit. 

However, local media outlets are speculating that the two leaders could hold their first summit at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok around Wednesday and Thursday when Putin travels to the Far East on his way to China for an international conference.

Citing a high-level Kremlin official, Japan's NHK reported on Friday that the summit will take place in Vladivostok around Thursday. 

As preparations for the summit are underway, the top U.S. nuclear envoy met with a senior Russian official to discuss North Korea's denuclearization. 

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov in Moscow on Thursday to discuss efforts to achieve the "final, fully verified denuclearisation of North Korea."

Biegun is thought to have explained the stalled negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang after their failed second summit in Hanoi and asked for Moscow's cooperation in the enforcement of sanctions against the North.