Kim Jong Un and Putin to discuss weapons for Russia’s invasion, says report.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Plans to Meet Russian President Vladimir Putin
In an exciting development, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is set to travel to Russia this month to meet with President Vladimir Putin. The purpose of their meeting is to discuss the possibility of supplying Moscow with weapons for the war in Ukraine, as reported by the New York Times.
This rare trip abroad for Kim Jong Un will see him travel from Pyongyang, most likely by armored train, to Vladivostok on the Pacific Coast of Russia. It is in Vladivostok where he will meet with Putin, according to sources cited by the New York Times.
Arms Negotiations and Military Exercises
The United States has expressed concerns about the growing military ties between North Korea and Russia. These concerns were further heightened when Russia announced discussions about holding joint military exercises with North Korea.
“Why not, these are our neighbors. There’s an old Russian saying: you don’t choose your neighbors and it’s better to live with your neighbors in peace and harmony,” Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, as saying on Monday.
When asked about the possibility of joint exercises between the two countries, he said ”of course” they were being discussed, it said.
South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Shoigu, who visited Pyongyang in July, had proposed to Kim Jong Un that their countries hold a naval exercise, along with China.
Significance of the Visit
If Kim Jong Un travels to Russia instead of his main ally China, it would be a notable move. Experts believe that the main goal of this meeting is for Kim Jong Un to demonstrate that he has international backing, especially as the United States, South Korea, and Japan strengthen their ties and display military power.
Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Kookmin University, stated, ”He wants to show he has friends.”
Political Messages and Mutual Relations
Discussions between North Korea and Russia are expected to lead to some military cooperation and an increase in North Korean workers in Russia. Both sides will also seek to send political messages to Washington.
For Russia, this meeting is about sending a signal to the United States that it is capable of creating additional trouble in East Asia. Lankov added, “Without the Ukraine war, Russia would not care about North Korea.”
The Kremlin has expressed its intention to deepen its “mutually respectful relations” with Pyongyang, one of its close Cold War allies. North Korea has also backed Russia’s proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine in 2022.
It remains uncertain whether Kim Jong Un will indeed go to Moscow, but if he does, it will be his first overseas trip since before the COVID-19 pandemic. His father, the late Kim Jong Il, also traveled to Russia by armored train before his death in 2011.
The United States has recently imposed sanctions on entities allegedly tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia. North Korea, known for its nuclear tests and missile launches, rarely holds military exercises with its neighbors, unlike the United States and South Korea.
South Korea’s foreign ministry has emphasized the importance of not violating sanctions and undermining peace and stability in the international community through military cooperation with North Korea.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim, Mark Trevelyan, and Lidia Kelly; additional reporting by Josh Smith, Hyunyoung Yi, and Soo-hyang Choi in Seoul; editing by Nick Macfie, Sandra Maler, Gerry Doyle, and Kim Coghill)
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