MOSCOW -- In its latest round of geopolitical chess, Russia is pushing to bolster communication with North Korea, a move likely to weaken China's influence as the key intermediary.
"I will be going to North Korea next year." Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of Russia's upper house, announced shortly after North Korea's latest ballistic missile test. Matviyenko is third in the pecking order in the Russian government, behind President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
