Russia wants to work more closely with North Korea. To this end, President Putin plans to sign a series of agreements during a visit to Pyongyang. Weapons for the war against Ukraine are also likely to be discussed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea for a visit. As the Kremlin announced, he landed in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. The Russian news agencies Ria Novosti and Interfax reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received Putin at the airport.
It is Putin’s second visit to the isolated country during his time as head of state. He last visited North Korea 24 years ago. Back then, shortly after his first election as Russian president, Putin met with Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il.
Several agreements to be signed
According to observers, the two-day visit will also focus on further arms deliveries from Pyongyang, which Moscow wants to use in its war against Ukraine. In return, North Korea could receive further economic support and technology from Russia, which in turn could advance the North Korean nuclear program.
Putin was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Denis Mantrurov, the new Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, according to the President’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. According to him, several agreements are to be signed during the visit, possibly including one on a comprehensive strategic partnership.
The main part of the visit begins on Wednesday. The day begins with a meeting between the two heads of state on Kim Il Sung Square, the urban and symbolic center of Pyongyang. After that, long negotiations are planned, first just the two of them, then on a larger scale. In addition to several meals together, a wreath-laying ceremony and a joint concert are also planned.
Putin thanks for support in guest article
Before his arrival, Putin had already thanked Pyongyang for its support in the Ukraine war. “We greatly appreciate the resolute support of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) for the special military operation in Ukraine,” Putin wrote in an op-ed published by the North Korean state news agency KCNA and the newspaper Rodong Sinmun.
The trip will “raise bilateral cooperation to a higher level” and contribute to the “development of mutual and equal cooperation” between Russia and North Korea, Putin said. Both countries are actively developing their “multifaceted partnership”.
USA: Missiles and ammunition delivered to Russia
The West has repeatedly accused Pyongyang of supporting Russia in its military offensive in Ukraine by supplying weapons. The communist-ruled country, which is subject to international sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program, is said to have already supplied artillery ammunition and missiles to Russia, which is using them against Ukraine.
From the perspective of the USA and its allies, this would be a serious violation of the UN Security Council’s sanctions resolutions against North Korea. According to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, the communist-ruled country has illegally supplied dozens of ballistic missiles and more than 11,000 containers of ammunition to Russia in recent months.
The United States and South Korea, which North Korea views as hostile states, have repeatedly warned against military cooperation between North Korea and Russia. Both countries have rejected the accusations of doing arms deals with each other.