The leaders of Russia and North Korea have just started their meeting in Russia's Far Eastern city of Vladivostok.

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un are sitting down together for their first one-on-one summit amid tight security.

Putin arrived in the city shortly before the summit started. Kim came to Vladivostok on Wednesday.

Russian TV reports the talks are expected to last 4 hours, with aides and officials in attendance as well at certain times.

Kim's visit comes amid diplomatic deadlock following the summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February.

Those talks broke down because of disputes over US-led sanctions on denuclearization.

North Korea's nuclear program is expected to be a key discussion point between Kim and Putin.

The US wants the sanctions in place until Pyongyang completely denuclearizes.

NHK