Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that the solution to the North Korean nuclear issue does not lie in imposing more sanctions.

At the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Russia's flagship business conference, Putin said his country strongly opposes the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction across the planet, and its friends in North Korea are among those who are aware of that.

But he said a solution to the nuclear issue lies not in choking North Korea or slapping it with more sanctions, but on the contrary, creating conditions that guarantee security.

In the forum, the Russian leader also remarked on his first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden scheduled this month.

Expressing hope to improve relations, Putin said that despite contradictions, which he noted were not created by Russia, the two countries still have overlapping interests.

He said that Biden is a very experienced politician and hoped for their meeting to be constructive.

Putin said issues such as the pandemic, terrorism, the environment, disarmament, and the resolution of global conflicts will be addressed in the summit talks.