North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is expected to visit Russia this month to meet President Putin and discuss the possibility of supplying weapons to Moscow.
US media on September 4, citing sources from the US government and its allies, said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will make a rare foreign trip to Vladivostok, Russia in September. Mr. Kim Jong-un is said to travel by train.
While in Vladivostok, Kim Jong-un and Putin will discuss the possibility of North Korea supplying artillery shells and anti-tank missiles to Russia. In return, Moscow would provide Pyongyang with advanced satellite and nuclear-powered submarine technology.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Vladivostok in April 2019. Photo: KCNA
News of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's planned visit to Russia comes after Moscow said it was discussing the possibility of holding joint military exercises with Pyongyang.
"Why not? It's our neighbor. The Russians have an old saying: You can't choose your neighbors, so it's better to live together in peace, " Interfax quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu as saying about the possibility of joint exercises with North Korea.
South Korean news agency Yonhap earlier quoted South Korean intelligence sources as saying that Minister Shoigu, who visited Pyongyang in July, had proposed to Kim Jong-un that Russia and North Korea hold naval exercises together with China.
The White House said last month that Russia was in “secret talks” to buy ammunition and military supplies from North Korea for use in the Ukraine conflict. The US accused North Korea of supplying missiles and rockets to Russia last year, adding that the weapons were allocated to the Wagner group for use.
North Korea and Russia have repeatedly denied allegations that Pyongyang has transferred weapons to Wagner. Russian officials have called it fake news, while North Korea has accused the US of trying to tarnish its image by "drawing up stories that don't exist."
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Pyongyang has strengthened its close ties with Moscow. North Korea has repeatedly publicly supported Russia at the United Nations, stressing that the "hegemonic and arbitrary policies" of the US and its Western allies were the cause of the war.
Kim Jong-un and Putin held their first summit in 2019. The Russian president praised Kim's initiatives to stabilize the situation on the Korean peninsula. Kim also pledged to strengthen ties with Moscow.
Ngoc Anh (According to Reuters )
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