Putin calls for guaranteeing North Korea's security to resolve nuclear quandary Posted : 2021-06-05 10:22 Updated : 2021-06-05 15:05 Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 4. AP-Yonhap Russian President Vladimir Putin called for guaranteeing the security of North Korea to resolve the standoff over its nuclear program, stressing that pressure and sanctions alone were not going to solve the quandary. Putin made the remarks during a virtual meeting with the heads of global news agencies at an annual economic forum in St. Petersburg, Friday, (local time), as nuclear negotiations between the North and the United States remain deadlocked after the breakdown of the Hanoi summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then-U.S. President Donald Trump in early 2019.