2023-09-04 19:52:41
From Pyongyang, Kim will likely travel by armored train to Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast, where he will meet with Putin. It is uncertain whether Kim, who rarely travels, will travel to Moscow. Kim first traveled to Russia in April 2019 and met Putin in Vladivostok.
According to the report, Putin is hoping for artillery shells and anti-tank missiles from North Korea, while Kim would like advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as food aid.
Participation in the Economic Forum from September 10th
The meeting was apparently prepared by a North Korean delegation who recently traveled to Moscow for several days. According to the officials interviewed, there is already a specific date for the meeting. Both heads of state will take part in the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 10-13.
The planned trip would come at a time when Russia is discussing joint military exercises with North Korea and after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had already tried to persuade Pyongyang to sell artillery ammunition to Russia during his visit to North Korea in July, as Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the National Security Council.
Archyde.com/KCNA Russian Defense Minister Shoigu (left) visited Kim in North Korea in July
Kim apparently wanted to invite Putin
Shoigu also met Kim in Pyongyang. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Shoigu presented Kim with a letter from Putin. So far, North Korea has denied allegations of having supplied weapons to Russia. “We see that Russia is desperately looking for support, for weapons wherever it can find them, in order to continue its aggression against Ukraine,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in July on the occasion of Shoigu’s visit.
According to officials interviewed by NYT, the idea for a meeting between Putin and Kim may have emerged as early as July. Kim asked Shoigu for a visit from Putin, who counter-suggested that Kim travel to Russia himself. The Korea expert Jean H. Lee sees in the “NYT” interview with the visit “the revival of a traditional alliance that serves the strategic interests of both Putin and Kim”.
IMAGO/Xinhua/Sputnik Kim and Putin last met in Vladivostok in April 2019 – Kim’s first visit to Russia
Warnings from USA
The US has been warning for some time that North Korea could supply more arms to Russia. “As we have publicly warned, negotiations over arms sales between Russia and North Korea are progressing,” said Watson of the National Security Council in Washington on Monday. Kim said he would like “these talks to continue and include high-level diplomatic exchanges in Russia.”
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said last week that the United States was concerned that arms talks between Russia and North Korea were “actively pursuing”. The new information about a meeting between the two leaders goes far beyond previous warnings.
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