- Kim Jong-un intends to visit Russia this month to meet with President Putin.
- Kim gave Russia antitank missiles and artillery rounds in return for Moscow’s cutting-edge satellite.
- North Korea has tested six nuclear weapons since 2006 and several missiles recently.
This month, Kim Jong-un intends to visit Russia to meet with President Putin and discuss the prospect of providing Moscow with arms for the conflict in Ukraine.
According to US National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Adrienne Watson, Russia and the DPRK are actively moving forward with their armament talks, and Kim expects that they will, too, including leader-level diplomatic interaction in Russia.
Visit Russia
The two leaders would talk about Kim giving Russia antitank missiles and artillery rounds in return for Moscow‘s cutting-edge satellite and nuclear-powered submarine technology while they were in Vladivostok.
Kim’s scheduled visit was publicized shortly after Russia said it was in talks with North Korea about conducting joint military drills. Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s minister of defense, stated that talks over joint drills were “of course” ongoing.
The Kremlin has expressed alarm over the strengthening of military connections between the two nations, and Yonhap, a South Korean news outlet, claimed that Shoigu had suggested to Kim that their nations participate in a naval exercise with China.
The Kremlin has also said that Moscow plans to strengthen its “mutually respectful relations” with Pyongyang, one of its staunch Cold War allies and one of only a select few nations to support Russia’s proclamation to annex parts of Ukraine in 2022.
Despite North Korea’s denials of any “arms dealings” with Russia, the US recently imposed penalties on three organizations it claimed were involved in such deals.
North Korea has tested six nuclear weapons since 2006 and several missiles recently, although it rarely engages in military drills with its neighbors.
