North Korea says it is ‘ready to receive’ Vladimir Putin, ‘closest friend’ of its ‘people’

Their friendship continues to strengthen. North Korea said it is “ready to receive” Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official KCNA news agency reported this Sunday, the latest sign of rapprochement between Pyongyang and Moscow. North Korea is “ready to welcome the closest friend of the Korean people with the greatest sincerity,” North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Song-hee told Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow, according to a statement from his office released by KCNA.

Choi Sung-hee was in the Russian capital last week to meet with Vladimir Putin and his counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Pyongyang and Moscow have strengthened their ties recently, including a rare visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the Russian Far East last September. The visit resulted in Kim Jong-un inviting the Russian President to visit North Korea. Vladimir Putin expressed his “readiness to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” (official name of North Korea) soon,” clarified in a press release distributed by KCNA.

North Korean support in Ukraine?

According to the same document, Russia conveyed to North Korea “deep gratitude (…) for its full support and solidarity with the position of the Russian government and people on the special military operation in Ukraine,” the noun given by Russia to its war. has been ongoing since February 2022 in a European country. Senior Russian officials, including defense and foreign ministers, visited North Korea in 2023, raising concerns about a potential arms deal.

The West in any case accuses Pyongyang and Moscow of working together to support Russian military efforts in Ukraine, and some countries, such as the United States, say North Korea is supplying weapons to Russia. In January, the White House accused Pyongyang of sending ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia, in what it called a “significant and troubling escalation” of North Korean aid to Moscow.

Seoul, for its part, accused North Korea of ​​supplying Russia with more than a million artillery rounds in exchange for intelligence and assistance in military satellite technology. In November, the reclusive country managed to put one of these spy devices into orbit, and South Korea saw Moscow’s hand in it.