“Kim almost certainly has no intentions of negotiating away his nuclear programme, which he perceives to be a guarantor of regime security and national pride.

“In addition, Kim probably hopes that he can use his bourgeoning defence ties with Russia to pursue his goal of achieving international acceptance as a nuclear power.”

North Korea has sharply accelerated its missile testing activities since 2022 in part of efforts to develop more powerful nuclear-capable weapons targeting the US mainland and South Korea.

The South Korean and US militaries have expanded their drills in response.

Experts say North Korea likely aims to use a modernised arsenal to win sanctions relief from the United States when diplomacy restarts.

They say North Korea could increase its weapons tests and dial-up warlike rhetoric this year as the United States and South Korea hold major elections.