U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Sochi Tuesday for talks with his Russian counterpart, along with other Russian officials,.. as the two sides look to improve their strained relations.<br />The two sides also discussed arms control and the situation on the Korean Peninsula.<br />Lee Seung-jae reports. <br />U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other Russian officials in Sochi on Tuesday.<br />Prior to the meeting,... Pompeo made it clear that the Trump administration is committed to improving the Washington-Moscow relations.<br />The two sides reportedly held talks for about three hours.<br />Arms control was the main focus of their talks, but North Korea issues also came up. <br />According to Russia's top diplomat,... the focus on North Korea should not be solely on the denuclearization of the regime only,... but the peninsula as a whole. <br />Lavrov said Pyeongyang expects a security guarantee from the U.S. in return for denuclearization measures,... an issue the leaders of North Korea and Russia discussed in Vladivostok last month.<br />However, Pompeo emphasized the need to maintain sanctions on North Korea.<br />Despite their differences,... Lavrov said Russia will continue to promote dialogue between Washington and Pyeongyang.<br />Aside from Korean Peninsula issues,... Moscow wants to know how Washington plans to resolve the current tension with Iran,... which Lavrov says the U.S. created on its own.<br />Pompeo responded by saying the U.S is not seeking conflict with Iran,... but would respond if its interests were attacked.<br />Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin later in the day, Pompeo was told by Putin that Moscow is keen to improve ties with Washington.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News. <br />
