Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this Saturday on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Pyongyang regime and called for closer cooperation “on all fronts,” the Kremlin (presidency) announced.
“I am convinced that, thanks to our joint efforts, we will continue to strengthen (…) bilateral ties on all fronts,” Putin declared in a congratulatory message to Kim, quoted by the French agency AFP.
Putin recalled, in the message, that “three quarters of a century ago, the Soviet Union was the first to recognize the new sovereign State that emerged on Korean soil.”
“Since then, relations between our countries have always been based on the principles of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual respect,” he said.
North Korea supports Russia in Russia’s war against Ukraine and the United States said last week that Moscow and Pyongyang have been negotiating an arms exchange deal.
The Kremlin refused on Tuesday to confirm a possible meeting between Putin and Kim in the coming weeks on Russian territory.
Russia intends to obtain artillery shells and anti-tank missiles from Pyongyang, according to US administration sources.
North Korea hopes to receive cutting-edge technology for satellites and nuclear submarines, as well as food aid, from Moscow.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea between July 25 and 27 to attend ceremonies commemorating the 70th anniversary of the armistice of the Korean War (1950-1953).
Shoigu, who met Kim twice, announced earlier this week that the two countries were discussing the possibility of hosting joint military exercises.
Since it invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia has been the target of Western sanctions that it has attempted to circumvent through its allied countries.
Source: TSF
