Multiple sources say North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will likely sit face-to-face with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week. 

A source with extensive knowledge of Pyongyang-Moscow relations said on Monday that Putin is scheduled to visit the Russian Far East on Wednesday of next week to attend a domestic event, adding there is a high possibility the long-discussed summit between Russia and the North will take place around that time. 

The source said Putin will also attend the One Belt One Road forum in Beijing for two days through April 27th and that he could drop by Primorsky Krai in the Far East on his way to China for a summit with Kim. 

Another source said it is highly likely that the Putin-Kim summit will happen right before or after the Beijing forum, adding that the North was detected making what appears to be an effort to prepare for the summit. 

After the North and the U.S. ended their second summit without a deal in Hanoi in February, the North has been expected to strengthen ties with its two staunchest allies, China and Russia.

[Photo : YONHAP News]