Putin's suggestions on North Korea seem limited to talking with a regime whose word is no good

USA Today:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday rejected the idea of cutting off oil shipments to energy-starved North Korea as a way of punishing the rogue regime for its pursuit of nuclear weapons, and as a way of forcing it to the negotiating table.

Putin made the comments in response to a request by South Korean President Moon Jae In, according to the Yonhap News Agency. Putin met with Moon on the sidelines of an economic summit in Vladivostok, Russia.

"I am concerned cutting off oil supplies to North Korea may cause damage to people in hospitals or other ordinary citizens," the Russian president said. Russia is a major energy exporter, although Putin said it shipped very little oil to North Korea.

Putin's opposition to Moon's suggestion comes a day after he said North Koreans would in all likelihood rather "eat grass" than abandon their nuclear program. Pyonggang claimed it conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sunday, detonating a thermonuclear weapon it said could be placed on a missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.
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What oil North Korea gets is mainly used for its war machine.  It is one of the few countries in the world who turns what lights it has off at night because of a lack of capacity and a lack of fuel.  Cutting off fuel would primarily hurt North Korea;s military mobility.  But if you reject further sanctions you are offering little alternative to dealing with a government that has threatened annihilation of the US and its allies.  How do you compromise with that?