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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, South Korea’s military said, where he is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
“The Ministry of National Defense believes that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un entered Russia early this morning using a private train,” it said.
Kim boarded his personal armored train in Pyongyang on Sunday, according the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
He was reportedly joined by unspecified members of the ruling party and military.
A brief statement on the Kremlin’s website on Monday confirmed the visit, saying it is at Putin’s invitation and would take place “in the coming days.”
What’s on the agenda?
The meeting would be Kim’s first foreign trip since the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the hermit state to tighten its border restrictions even further.
One possible venue could be the city of Vladivostok in Russia’s far east. Putin arrived in Vladivostok on Monday to attend the Eastern Economic Forum that runs through Wednesday.
Analysts, as well as US officials, believe the meeting could be a chance for Putin to request artillery shells and antitank missiles from North Korea to be used against Ukraine.
“Having to travel across the length of his own country to meet with an international pariah to ask for assistance in a war that he expected to win in the opening month, I would characterize it as him begging for assistance,” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
In return, Kim is reportedly seeking advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as food aid for his impoverished nation.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Putin and Kim could hold one-on-one meetings if necessary.
“As with any of our neighbors, we feel obliged to develop good, mutually beneficial relations,” he added.
zc/wd (AP, AFP, Reuters)
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