Moscow, April 30 (IANS): North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un has cancelled a scheduled visit next month to Moscow for the World War II anniversary celebrations there, a Kremlin spokesperson said on Thursday.

"We were informed of the decision via diplomatic channels," spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said. "The decision is connected with North Korean domestic affairs."

The visit was highly anticipated because it would have marked Kim's first official foreign trip since inheriting the leadership of North Korea in late 2011, reports Tass.

Kim was set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the visit.

Kim's trip had been anticipated since late December, when Russian state media reported that Moscow extended an invitation to Pyongyang.

This year's Victory Day marks the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Russia has said it has invited more than 60 world leaders to the celebrations.