North Korea has signaled its intention to prioritize ties with Russia over the resumption of dialogue with the United States after US President Donald Trump renewed his overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before his trip to South Korea.

Trump’s olive branch had raised expectations for a possible impromptu encounter — reminiscent of his surprise meeting with Kim at the demilitarized zone in June 2019 — ahead of his two-day state visit to South Korea, which begins Wednesday during the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week.

However, North Korean state media announced Sunday morning Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s visit to Russia and its ally Belarus at the invitation of their foreign ministers in what appeared to be a bid to pour cold water on rising expectations.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry later in the day announced that Choe’s trip to Russia will take place from Sunday to Tuesday, according to a report by Russia’s state-run RIA news agency.

Choe's visit will come about a year after she traveled to Moscow in November to hold talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and pay a courtesy call on President Vladimir Putin.

Observers in Seoul viewed the announcement as a sign of Pyongyang’s reluctance to pursue a Trump–Kim summit, amid intensifying tensions between Trump and Putin over ending the war in Ukraine.

“The fact that North Korea released the news of Choe’s Russia trip serves as both a reaffirmation of its consistency in placing importance on the ‘blood alliance’ with Russia and a clear message to the US, implying a rejection of a possible meeting with Trump,” said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul.

Lim underscored that “it is also worth noting that a Trump-Kim meeting without Choe Son-hui — who has been in charge of overseeing diplomacy toward the US at the working level — is hard to imagine.”

“If Pyongyang were keeping even the slightest possibility of a surprise meeting in mind, it would be reasonable to assume that Choe and all other working-level officials in charge of US affairs would be on emergency standby.”

The report on Choe’s trip to Russia came about a day after Trump once again expressed his willingness to meet Kim — effectively throwing the ball into Pyongyang’s court —during a press briefing aboard Air Force One on Friday, as he departed for his trip to Asia.

"I would if he would contact,” Trump said when asked if he had any plans to meet with Kim at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, boasting of their"great relationship.”

“The last time I met him, I put it out over the internet that I'm coming to South Korea and if he'd like to meet, I'm open to it. I'd do it.”

Trump was referring to his surprise meeting with Kim on June 30, 2019 — their last encounter and third in-person meeting. At the time, Trump had offered to meet Kim at the inter-Korean border and the DMZ via Twitter before departing Japan after the G-20 summit in Osaka. The meeting took place at the DMZ roughly 32 hours after Trump’s tweet.

He also gave an affirmative response when asked whether he was open to North Korea’s demand to be recognized as a nuclear state as a precondition for dialogue with Washington.

"Well, I think they are sort of a nuclear power. I mean, I know how many weapons they have," Trump said."When you say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they’ve got a lot of nuclear weapons. I'll say that.”

Within the Lee Jae Myung administration, views are divided over the possibility of a Trump-Kim summit. Director of national security Wi Sung-lac has voiced caution about the prospects of an impromptu Trump–Kim meeting.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young claimed Friday that there are “clues and signs” suggesting that Washington and Pyongyang may be preparing for a surprise Trump–Kim meeting. Chung, however, added that there is “no confirmed information about any behind-the-scenes contact between North Korea and the US.”

Chung cited the suspension of tours by the United Nations Command to the truce village of Panmunjom in the DMZ during the APEC summit as one sign.

Another key sign Chung pointed out is North Korea’s recent beautification and clean-up work — such as trimming trees and weeding — around the Panmungak building on the northern side of the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom.