In spite of warnings from Washington not to sell weapons, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on a luxury train on Tuesday for talks with President Vladimir Putin.
Kim Jong Un in Russia amid US warnings: Kim was accompanied by top military and arms industry executives when he departed from Pyongyang for Russia on Sunday aboard his distinctive olive green-painted train. This information was reported in North Korea’s state media on Tuesday.
Russian state television captured Kim on camera as he smiled and wore a suit while disembarking from his train onto a red carpet at a station in the country’s far east. He was welcomed by a delegation.Soon after, a military band formed on the platform of the train station.
Kim landed on Tuesday morning, leaving his train to meet Russian officials in Khasan, the main rail hub for Russia’s Far East, before continuing on, a Russian source familiar with the trip had earlier told Reuters.
Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Russia’s far east Primorsky region, released video showing Kim speaking with a group led by Alexander Kozlov, the country’s minister of natural resources, while seated on a large white chair.
According to Kozhemyako, the Russian delegation had discussed establishing collaborative agricultural and tourism projects this year and intended to strengthen business connections with Pyongyang.
Only seven excursions outside of his country and two crossings of the inter-Korean border have been made by Kim in his twelve years in charge. Four of those journeys were to China, the North’s principal political ally.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said, “It will be a fully fledged visit.” Negotiations between two delegations will take place, and if necessary, the leaders will then continue speaking to one another one-on-one.
“Possible Summit Topics and Venue Uncertainty in Kim-Putin Meeting”
According to Russian authorities, discussions may touch on North Korea’s humanitarian help as well as sanctions imposed on Pyongyang by the U.N. Security Council.
When the visit was first predicted to happen, U.S. officials claimed that Russia and North Korea were actively moving forward in their arms negotiations and that Kim and Putin would probably talk about giving Russia weapons for the war in Ukraine.
The location of the summit remains unconfirmed. However, South Korean and Japanese media have suggested that Kim may have met Putin at the Vostochny cosmodrome as his train passed the junction for the Russian Pacific port of Vladivostok, where Putin was attending a conference.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Putin said he intended to travel to the Vostochny cosmodrome, located more than 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) to the north, but he did not specify whether he expected to run across Kim there.
When asked about his personal plan to visit the launch station, he replied, “When I get there, you will know.”
RUSSIA-NORTH KOREA COOPERATION IS CLOSING
Recent indications of increased military collaboration between Russia and the nuclear-armed North have alarmed Washington and its allies. It will be Kim’s second summit with Putin, whom he first met on his most recent international tour in 2019.
Pyongyang and Moscow have both denied the possibility of North Korea supplying armaments to Russia, despite the depletion of Russian stockpiles during the more than 18-month-long conflict.
Peskov stated that Russia’s policies would be determine by its national interests.
Russian media paraphrased Peskov as saying, “While implementing our relations with our neighbours, including North Korea, the interests of our two countries are important to us, and not warnings from Washington.”
Analysts noted that the composition of Kim’s team, which included senior military and defence industry officials as well as Director of the Munitions Industry Department Jo Chun Ryong, reflected a focus on defence industry collaboration.
Kim might offer artillery rounds from North Korea’s sizable stockpile, which would restore Russia’s short-term capabilities, but military analysts warned that concerns about the ammunition’s quality might limit the overall impact.
Many nations closely monitored the summit between North Korea, which has faced United Nations sanctions, and Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, as stated by the office of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
“U.S. Calls for Responsible Action from Russia in Kim-Putin Meeting”
A presidential official told reporters, under the condition of anonymity, “We hope Russia will act responsibly as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. As the president has said.”
On Monday, Washington call on North Korea to honor its commitment not to supply Russia with weapons that could potentially be use in the Ukraine conflict. Washington claimed that such actions would contravene Security Council resolutions.
Putin promised last week to “expand bilateral ties in all respects in a planned way by pooling efforts” because North Korea is one of the few nations that has publicly backed Russia in the Ukraine war.
When Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu paid a visit to Pyongyang in July, Kim gave him a personal tour of an arms expo in a stunning display, and Shoigu saluted as banned ballistic missiles passed by during a military parade.
Even as recently as 2017, Russia and China both supported Security Council resolutions that condemned Pyongyang for its ballistic missile launches and nuclear testing.
Writing by Jack Kim/Andrew Osborn; editing by Gerry Doyle and Alex Richardson; reporting by Hyunsu Yim, Hyonhee Shin, and Josh Smith in Seoul; Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Steve Holland and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; and Reuters staff in Vladivostok.