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Kim Jong-un plans to stop in Russia this month to meet with Vladimir Putin as the Russian president searches for weapons for his invasion of Ukraine.
The North Korean leader would travel from Pyongyang, likely via an armored train, to Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast, where he would meet Putin, the New York Times reported.
In Vladivostok, a port city close to North Korea, the two leaders are believed to be discussing Kim sending artillery shells and anti-tank missiles to Russia in exchange for Moscow’s complex generation of nuclear-powered satellites and submarines, according to U. S. officials. . .
Washington has observed concerted action across Pyongyang and Moscow to deepen diplomatic relations, with the White House suggesting last week that arms talks were “actively advancing. “Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea’s capital in July, along with officials from China, Pyongyang’s largest country. merchant spouse: for the first time through foreign dignitaries since the Covid-19 pandemic.
U. S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Russia’s Shoigu had tried to “convince Pyongyang to sell artillery munitions” to Russia during his visit. Moscow is employing thousands of rounds of ammunition a day on Ukraine’s battlefields as Putin’s invasion enters its 18th month.
Putin and Kim reportedly exchanged letters after Shoigu’s visit, in which the defense minister was able to see weapons through the North Korean leader, including the Hwasong intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). According to analysts at NK News, an online site specializing in North Korea, the exhibition also includes two new drone models, adding one that resembles the main offensive strike drone used by the U. S. Air Force. U. S.
Kirby said the letters between Kim and Putin were “pretty superficial,” but the North Korean leader is known for sending expansive letters to other world leaders he considers allies, or at least useful. In June, Kim sent a message to Putin about Russia. National Day, in which he said he would “hold the hand” of the Russian leader and that the country had the full support of the North Korean people.
The Kremlin said last week that Moscow intends to deepen its “mutually respectful relations” with Pyongyang, one of its close Cold War allies and also one of the few countries in Russia’s proclaimed annexation of parts of Ukraine in 2022.
Putin is also not opposed to such a generous attitude. He touted his close relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, going so far as to call it a non-public friendship.
Russia said it is also contemplating joint military exercises with North Korea and China. “Why not, they are our neighbors. There is an old Russian saying: one does not decide about one’s neighbors and it is better to live with one’s neighbors in peace and harmony,” Shoigu said Monday, according to the Interfax news agency.
Behind the flowery diplomatic language, both Kim and Putin will see the advantages of reaching an agreement. Pyongyang desperately wants new technology, money or industry to feed its population, while Russia wants every single weapon and ammunition imaginable to invest money and resources in the war in Ukraine.
As for the main points of the possible trip, it would be unusual for Kim not to travel in an armored train. Kim’s father, the reclusive Kim Jong Il, has avoided planes and traveled only in an armored train, a habit his son has acquired. The backward Kim last visited Russia just months before his death in 2011.
Kim’s stopover made Vladivostok in 2019, his first stop in Russia and probably the last time he left North Korea. Footage from that moment shows him coming out of the single green exercise, while every single surface he was able to touch was erased in the past. Team of assistants.
Putin and Kim may be on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, scheduled for Sept. 10-13, according to the New York Times. The exact date or location of the meeting, however, is still unclear.
The United States has warned in the past that North Korea could simply provide Russia with more weapons, and U. S. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said they expect negotiations to continue.
“We have that Kim Jong Un expects those talks to continue, adding diplomatic engagement at the point of leadership in Russia,” he said.
He said the United States suggested North Korea “stop its arms negotiations with Russia and fulfill Pyongyang’s public commitments to obtain or sell weapons to Russia. “
Kirby warned of sanctions on Pyongyang if it continues its arms deliveries.
Additional reporting through agencies.
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