North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday met with Russia's foreign minister as Pyongyang continues to engage in active diplomacy toward improving relations with major countries in the region.

Kim's meeting with Sergey Lavrov in Pyongyang came as North Korea and the United States continue to forge ahead with plans to hold a summit between their leaders in June.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said Lavrov and Kim discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the further development of friendly relations.

It said Lavrov invited Kim to visit Russia and conveyed to him Russia's willingness to contribute to the implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration, issued by him and South Korean President Moon Jae In at their first inter-Korean summit on April 27. The declaration calls for the "complete" denuclearization of the peninsula.

Russia, a traditional backer of North Korea, has until now not had a prominent presence amid Kim's diplomatic outreach to other key players in the region.

Lavrov became the first senior Russian official to have an official face-to-face meeting with the North Korean leader. He last visited Pyongyang in April 2009, also in the capacity of foreign minister.

(Sergey Lavrov arrives at Pyongyang's international airport)

The Russian ministry released video footage and photographs of his meeting with Kim, showing them shaking hands and holding talks in a congenial atmosphere.

Of the countries involved in the long-stalled six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program, all except Japan have now had meetings with Kim.

Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump are hoping to hold talks in mid-June in Singapore, following the North Korean leader's flurry of meetings with Chinese and South Korean leaders since March.

Senior officials of North Korea and the United States are currently engaged in discussions in multiple locations to iron out differences prior to the summit. It was initially slated for June 12 before Trump abruptly called it off last week, and now appears to be back on track.

Kim said the situation on the peninsula is moving quickly toward the direction of dialogue and that North Korea highly values Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to counter U.S. dominance in the world.

"You strictly oppose, and we are always ready to conduct negotiations and a profound exchange of opinions with the Russian side on this issue," Russia's Tass news agency quoted Kim as saying.

During the one-day visit, Lavrov also met with his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho.

After holding talks with Ri, he threw his support behind Kim's willingness to meet with Trump and suggested the need of achieving Pyongyang's denuclearization in stages.

The news agency quoted Lavrov as telling reporters that Moscow "welcomes" Kim's possible summit with Trump and the North Korean leader's recent two meetings with the South Korean president.

Touching on how to approach the North Korean nuclear issue, Lavrov said it will not be fully solved until sanctions against Pyongyang are lifted, according to Tass.

"But how to move forward to this, that's about the art of negotiators," the news agency quoted him as saying. "It is impossible in one move to ensure denuclearization, that's why certainly there should be some stages."

He also said Russia is prepared to support potential agreements on North Korea "if they meet the interests of all parties concerned," it said.