President Vladimir Putin on Thursday conveyed to a senior North Korean official an invitation for Kim Jong Un to visit Russia as he praised the results of his summit with Donald Trump.

Hosting Kim Yong Nam, North Korea's ceremonial head of state, Putin said the historic summit with the US president was "without doubt just the first step towards a full-blown settlement".

"Thanks to this meeting a possible negative scenario has been cast aside," Putin said.

"Certainly it creates conditions for further forward movement and decreases general tensions around the Korean peninsula," he added.

Trump and Kim made history on Tuesday holding a summit in Singapore. It was an unprecedented encounter that saw the leader of the world's most powerful democracy shake hands with the third-generation scion of a dynastic dictatorship.

But critics said the Kim and Trump summit was more style than substance, producing a document short on specifics about the key issue of Pyongyang's atomic weapons.

Putin said he would be happy to welcome Kim to Russia, suggesting they meet during an economic forum in the far eastern port city of Vladivostok this September.

The youthful North Korean leader has never visited Russia, unlike his father, Kim Jong-Il, who travelled to the country in his armoured train in 2011 for talks with Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president at the time.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov became the first ever Russian official to meet Kim when he travelled to Pyongyang in late May.

The two countries share a short land border and have a history of long-standing ties.

Trump salute to N. Korean general sparks controversy
Washington (AFP) June 14, 2018 –

US President Donald Trump drew criticism Thursday after footage emerged of him saluting a North Korean general while the totalitarian communist nation's leader Kim Jong Un looked on.

The odd moment was captured during Trump's visit to Singapore for a summit with Kim this week, with North Korean state television broadcasting the footage Thursday.

In the interaction, Kim is seen introducing Trump to a North Korean general.

The US president puts out his hand for a shake, but the general instead salutes Trump.

In an awkward-seeming moment, Trump then briefly salutes the general.

The interaction prompted disbelief among some Trump critics, who already have said the president appeared too accommodating to Kim and his autocratic regime, which is accused of gross human rights violations.

"To no one's surprise, North Korea used our President for their propaganda campaign," Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said on Twitter.

"Kim Jong Un is pocketing immediate concessions and not making any concrete commitments. Nauseating to see Trump stiff our allies in Canada and then praise Kim while saluting his generals."

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump was merely being polite.

"It's a common courtesy. When a military official from another government salutes… you return that," Sanders said.

Former president Barack Obama sparked outrage from his Republican opponents when in 2009 he bowed to Japanese Emperor Akihito.

Conservative also media blasted Obama when he bowed that year to Saudi King Abdullah, and he was assailed again in 2014 for saluting while holding a cup of coffee.

Major military exercises 'suspended indefinitely' on Korean peninsula: US official
Washington (AFP) June 14, 2018 –

Large military drills between the United States and South Korea have been "suspended indefinitely," a senior US official told AFP on Thursday.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the US will halt "war games" with its security ally Seoul, but he did not make clear when the freeze on the "provocative" exercises would kick in.

"Major military exercises have been suspended indefinitely on the Korean peninsula," the official said.

America has about 28,500 troops based in South Korea and they routinely train with their local counterparts.

Ulchi Freedom Guardian, which ordinarily starts in August, is a two-week drill based on a computerized command-and-control exercise.

Pyongyang considers it a highly provocative rehearsal for invasion.

Following last year's drills, the North fired ballistic missiles over Japan, triggering global alarm and a furious response from Tokyo.

The Pentagon did not immediately comment.