Key takeaways:
- Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, accompanied by top military officials in charge of nuclear-capable weapons and munitions factories.
- The meeting has sparked concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
- The meeting between Kim and Putin is expected to focus on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and the stalled negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by top military officials in charge of nuclear-capable weapons and munitions factories.
The South Korean defense ministry said Kim was believed to have entered Russia at dawn Tuesday local time, arriving on the luxury armored train on which North Korean leaders usually travel. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim boarded his personal train Sunday afternoon, accompanied by unspecified members of his entourage.
The meeting has sparked concerns about a potential arms deal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The South Korean defense ministry said it is closely monitoring if there will be negotiations between North Korea and Russia over the arms trade and technology transfer.
Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia marks the first time he has left North Korea since the coronavirus pandemic began. It is also his first foreign trip since he met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in 2018.
The meeting between Kim and Putin is expected to focus on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and the stalled negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington over the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It is unclear when the two leaders will meet, but it is expected to take place in the Russian city of Vladivostok.
Be First to Comment