MOSCOW, Feb 11: Russia on Tuesday announced plans to get direct talks going between Pyongyang and Washington in a bid to defuse the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

“The North Koreans have told us about their desire to hold a dialogue with the United States,” the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov as saying.

“The Americans told us the same thing. We need to figure out why, unfortunately, this is not happening while the crisis continues and — if not getting even worse — then at least staying at the same tense level.”

Mr Losyukov said Russia “in the near future will try to take a series of steps aimed at clearing up the situation and see what we can do for dialogue to resume between the two sides”.

He did not specify what specific steps Russia intended to take. Last month, Losyukov held what he then described as “constructive” six-hour talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang and the Russian diplomat said he may travel there again.

“If it is expedient, then there may be more trips,” he said. “We need to make efforts to push the talks along. Unfortunately, we have been unable to get there yet.”

US NUKES: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is trying to force the United States to tolerate his acquisition and enlargement of a stockpile of nuclear weapons, CIA chief George Tenet said on Tuesday.