DONALD Trump has stated that Russia is “hurting” North Korean diplomatic efforts that aim to extinguish escalating threats of World War 3.
In a recent interview, the President explained that China is aiding the process but Russia is preventing a peaceful resolution with the hermit kingdom being achieved.
He said: “China is helping us and maybe Russia’s going through the other way and hurting what we’re getting.”
Trump also said he feels positive that improving relations with Russia will help reduce the impending threat of an all-out nuclear war.
He added: “I think we could have a good relationship.
“I think that North Korean situation would be easier settled.”
Relations between the two superpowers have been tested over the Kremlin’s alleged involvement in the 2016 US election, Putin’s decision to back opposing forces in Syria and the country’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014.
During his election campaign trail, Trump expressed his desire for improved relations with Russia.
However, it was recently revealed that NATO is targeting Russia in a renewed game of Cold War cat and mouse that is responsible for a “changing world dynamic” thanks to opposing views of the war in Syria, suggesting relations with the Kremlin are not set to improve.
The proxy war has seen NATO keep tabs on submarines like the Russian Krasnodar where it has targeted ISIS with missiles fired at Syria.
The war in Syria has played a key role in Vladimir Putin’s new naval initiative to rapidly develop submarines and Russia’s drive to eliminate ISIS from the region has provoked a US counter-response.
In order to keep up with the stealthy developments of submarines like the Krasnodar, Washington has poured resources into creating new tracking measures to keep pace with Putin.
The news of strained relations with Russia come as Donald Trump is set to work with China to rein in the rogue nation when he visits China next month.
Isolating North Korea further over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests is a key goal for the President on what will be his longest foreign trip to date.
Trump will call on President Xi Jinping to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions against Pyongyang and take other steps to pressure North Korea.
China, North Korea's sole major ally, accounts for more than 90 percent of trade with the isolated country.
China has said it will strictly enforce UN Security Council sanctions banning imports of coal, textiles and seafood while cutting off oil shipments to the rogue nation.
But a senior White House official who briefed reporters ahead of President Trump's Asia tour said China needs to do more to comply with two UN Security Council resolutions that were approved unanimously, including with China's support.
The official said: “We would like to see China follow through on those commitments. We would like to see China do things bilaterally as well that might even go beyond things that are mandated by those UN Security Council resolutions.”