Vladimir Putin with Kim Jong Un
Russian President Vladimir Putin commended North Korea on Tuesday for firmly supporting Moscow’s war in Ukraine, ahead of a visit to Pyongyang to strengthen ties between the nuclear-armed allies.
Putin claimed, “We greatly appreciate that the DPRK (North Korea) is firmly supporting Russia’s special military operations in Ukraine”.
Putin went on to say, “The two nations are now actively developing the many-sided partnership, citing the fact that Moscow and Kim Jong Un’s dictatorship have been maintaining the common line and stand at the UN”.
Putin is scheduled to visit the isolated North, which is under several rounds of United Nations sanctions over Kim’s illegal weapons programmes, late Tuesday for his first visit since 2000.
The Russian leader expressed, “The trip will raise the level of bilateral cooperation through our joint efforts, contributing to the development of reciprocal and equal cooperation between Russia and the DPRK”.
Historic allies dating since to North Korea’s creation after WWII, Moscow, and Pyongyang have grown closer since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as Putin has been increasingly isolated and seeks allies.
The delegation will include Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, ministries of natural resources, health, and transportation, the chiefs of the Russian space agency and railways, and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, Putin’s energy point man.
The visit will involve one-on-one conversations between the two presidents, as well as a gala concert, state reception, honour guards, document signings, and a statement to the media.
Also read: North Korean Soldiers Cross Border, Get Injured After Landmines Explode
