The North Korean president will soon be visiting Russia. Washington suspects Moscow of seeking to acquire ammunition from its Asian ally.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will make an “official visit” to Russia “in the coming days,” the Kremlin announced on Monday. No specific date for a meeting with Vladimir Putin has been articulated yet. Rumors had been circulating for a week regarding Kim’s visit to Russia. Indeed, Washington suspects Moscow, which has been widely isolated since its assault on Ukraine and is in search of weaponry, of wanting to acquire ammunition from its North Korean ally.
The Kremlin’s statement merely states that Kim Jong-un’s visit is “at the invitation of the Russian president.” Earlier, the South Korean news agency Yonhap had reported that Kim Jong-un’s train “appeared” to be en route to Russia. The two countries share a short common border in Russia’s Far East, not far from Vladivostok. Putin arrived there on Monday before participating in an annual economic forum on Tuesday.
Washington’s Warning However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Monday, before the visit was officially confirmed, that no Kim-Putin meeting was planned within the framework of the forum itself. The South Korean television channel YTN, on the other hand, reported that Seoul “expects President Kim to meet with President Putin of Russia, around the day after tomorrow,” which would be Wednesday.
The White House stated last week that Kim Jong-un wanted to meet Vladimir Putin to discuss arms sales to Moscow as part of its offensive in Ukraine. Washington warned that North Korea would “pay the price within the international community” for this.
