War in Ukraine: Kim Jong-un would like to meet with Putin to discuss arms supplies

Kim Jong-un very rarely leaves his country. And yet, according to the New York Times, the North Korean leader wants to visit Russia in September. On the menu: “top-level diplomatic exchange” with Vladimir Putin to discuss arms sales to Moscow, the White House said on Monday.

“As we have publicly stated, arms talks between Russia and North Korea are moving forward,” said Adrian Watson, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council. “We know that Kim Jong Un wants to continue these negotiations, including a diplomatic exchange at the highest level in Russia,” she added.

Development cooperation

This meeting will take place when Moscow and Pyongyang come out in August to promote greater cooperation, especially in the defense sector. “I am sure that we will continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our peoples and in the interests of strengthening stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asia region. In general,” Vladimir Putin said at the meeting.

Since the beginning of the offensive against Ukraine, Russia has moved closer to Pyongyang, an ally of the USSR during the Cold War. A striking example of this was the visit to North Korea in late July by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who called the country an “important partner.” The United States suspects Moscow of seeking weapons from its North Korean ally.

The United States said Russia would violate UN resolutions if it made an arms deal with North Korea. “Any kind of security cooperation or arms deal between North Korea and Russia will undoubtedly violate a number of UN Security Council resolutions,” Vedant Patel, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense, said in mid-August. Pyongyang has always denied sending weapons to Russia.