North Korean state media described the Russian leader’s visit as a historic event and a demonstration of the “invincibility” of ties between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un began their talks shortly after Putin arrived at Pyongyang International Airport to a lavish red carpet welcome, aimed at further strengthening ties between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Putin arrived in the North Korean capital before dawn on Wednesday and was greeted by Kim Jong Un. The two shook hands and embraced as a woman dressed in traditional Korean hanbok presented Putin with a bouquet of red roses. The North Korean leader then climbed into Putin’s limousine for a motorcade ride down streets decorated with Russian flags and portraits of Russian leaders to the Nishikigoiyama State Guest House.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency said the meeting between the two leaders was a historic event that demonstrated the “invincibility and permanence” of the friendship and unity between North Korea and Russia, adding that ties between the two countries have “emerged as a powerful strategic fortress for safeguarding international justice, peace and security, and a driving force for accelerating the building of a new multipolar world.”
Putin will visit North Korea for the first time in 24 years. Relations between the two countries have grown closer since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 amid concerns that Pyongyang was providing weapons to Moscow in exchange for Russian technological expertise.
Moscow and Pyongyang deny any arms transfers but have pledged to strengthen military ties.
Putin and Kim Jong Un last met in September 2023 in eastern Russia.
North Korea has long been subject to tough UN Security Council sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also struggling with sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western countries over its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin is being accompanied by several senior officials, including Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturlov. Foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said several documents are expected to be signed during the visit, which may include an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership.
Weapons Concerns
Russia, along with North Korea’s main ally China, has repeatedly blocked U.S.-led efforts to impose new U.N. sanctions over North Korea’s weapons tests and satellite launches.
After Russia vetoed a deal in March to end monitoring of U.N. sanctions, Western countries accused Russia of trying to evade oversight while buying weapons from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine. U.S. and South Korean officials have said they are discussing options for a new mechanism to keep an eye on Pyongyang.
In Washington, DC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Putin’s visit to North Korea showed Russia was “desperately seeking to develop and strengthen relationships with countries that can provide it with what it needs to continue the war of aggression it has launched against Ukraine.”
“North Korea is supplying Russia with large amounts of munitions. It is also supplying other weapons for use in Ukraine. Iran is supplying weapons, including drones, that are being used against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Blinken told reporters after talks with NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg on Tuesday.
Stoltenberg reiterated concerns about “potential support that Russia may provide to North Korea regarding its missile and nuclear programs.”
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen in recent months amid North Korean weapons tests and large-scale military drills in South Korea. A 2018 arms pact between the two countries collapsed last year and North Korea has stepped up its border defences.
South Korea’s government said on Tuesday that South Korean troops had to fire warning shots after North Korean soldiers engaged in activities such as laying mines accidentally crossed the border. A similar incident occurred on June 9.
