North Korean leader Kim Jong-un yesterday promised full support for Russia’s war in Ukraine as he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang in a bid to expand their economic and military cooperation, and display a united front against Washington.
Putin thanked Kim for the support and said that the two countries would sign an agreement to boost their partnership as both “fight against the imperialist hegemonistic policies of the US and its satellites against the Russian Federation.”
Putin’s visit to Pyongyang comes amid growing concerns about an arms arrangement in which North Korea provides Russia with munitions to fuel Moscow’s war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
Photo: AP
Putin said in remarks carried by Russian state Tass and RIA Novosti news agencies that the “new fundamental document will form the basis of our ties for a long perspective.”
North Korea is under heavy UN Security Council economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also grappling with sanctions by the US and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.
Kim said that relations between Moscow and Pyongyang are at a new high, beyond the ties seen during Soviet times, and voiced hope that “the fiery friendship of the two countries will grow more monolithic,” Russian state news agencies reported.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Gavriil Grigorov / Sputnik / Kremlin
Putin, making his first trip to North Korea in 24 years, thanked the nation for “consistent and unchanging support of the Russian policies, including in the Ukrainian direction.”
Kim was quoted by Russian news agencies vowing his country’s “full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity.”
It was not immediately clear what support from North Korea might look like.
He also hailed Russia’s “important role and mission in preserving the strategic stability and balance in the world.”
“The situation in the world is exacerbating and changing rapidly,” Kim said. “In this situation we intend to strengthen strategic interaction with Russia.”
Before the talks, Kim welcomed Putin with a lavish ceremony in the city’s main square, where he introduced key members of the North Korean leadership, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son-hui; top aide and ruling party secretary Jo Yong-won; and the leader’s sister, Kim Yo-jong.
Huge crowds lined the streets to greet Putin’s motorcade, chanting: “Welcome Putin” and waving flowers, and North Korean and Russian flags.
South Korean analysts say that Kim Jong-un is likely to seek stronger economic benefits and more advanced military technologies from Russia, although his more sensitive discussions with Putin are not likely to be made public.
In Washington on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Putin’s visit to North Korea illustrates how Russia tries, “in desperation, to develop and to strengthen relations with countries that can provide it with what it needs to continue the war of aggression that it started against Ukraine.”
“North Korea is providing significant munitions to Russia ... and other weapons for use in Ukraine. Iran has been providing weaponry, including drones, that have been used against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Blinken told reporters.
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