HomeWorldThe North Korean leader is already in Russia, South Korea says

The North Korean leader is already in Russia, South Korea says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, where he is expected to meet with the country’s President Vladimir Putin, an official South Korean source said.

“The Ministry of Defense believes that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un entered Russia this morning aboard a private convoy,” the South Korean government said, after North Korean state media and the Kremlin reported Kim Jong’s trip -un had confirmed.

The meeting between Putin and Kim, who traveled accompanied by a delegation of military officials who manage North Korean nuclear weapons, has raised concerns among Western countries, which fear a possible arms deal for the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders will discuss “sensitive issues” that will not be made public and are important to “the interests” of both countries, the Kremlin said today.

“As neighbors, our countries naturally also cooperate in sensitive areas that should not be the subject of any public disclosure or announcement. But this is very natural for neighboring states,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told local media from Vladivostok. in the Russian Far East.

Peskov indicated that the talks between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un will include issues related to bilateral relations and cooperation, trade and economic ties and cultural exchanges, as well as international and regional affairs, as well as “sensitive issues.”

“For us, the most important thing is the interests of our two countries and not the warnings from Washington,” he said, commenting on US warnings about technical-military cooperation between the two countries, according to Russian news agency Interfax.

Rumors of Kim Jong-un’s move started circulating a week ago Washington suspects that Moscow, isolated from the West since the attack on Ukraine, plans to acquire military equipment from its North Korean ally.

The completion of this deal will inevitably result in “new sanctions” from the United States, US diplomacy warned again on Monday.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency already reported that the North Korean leader’s armored convoy to Russia, which shares a short border with North Korea, appears to have left in the Russian Far East.

This region is not far from Vladivostok, where Putin arrived on Monday to take part in an annual economic forum today.

In Vladivostok, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko stated that the issue of providing humanitarian aid to North Korea could be among the topics discussed between Putin and Kim.

Peskov added that Russia is also ready to continue talks on Western sanctions against Pyongyang if North Korean “comrades” want to address the issue.

Without revealing the day or place where the meeting will take place, the second since April 2019, the Kremlin spokesman added that negotiations will take place between the two delegations accompanying the two leaders, “a personal communication” between Putin and Kim. and an official dinner in honor of the North Korean leader. “There are no press conferences planned,” he said.

Several observers said the meeting would likely take place on Wednesday, after Putin completed his engagements at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, where he spoke during today’s plenary session.

According to the North American newspaper The New York Times, this meeting would take place in Vladivostok, about 700 kilometers from Pyongyang.

The New York Times said it believes Moscow is seeking artillery shells and anti-tank missiles from Pyongyang, while Kim is seeking advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as food aid.

According to photos published by North Korean media, Kim is accompanied by Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Defense Minister Kang Sun-nam and military representatives including Industrial Munitions Department director Jo Chun-ryong and Pak Thae- song. Secretary for Science and Education of the Workers’ Party Central Committee, linked to the North Korean space program.

Kim Jong-Un has not left North Korea since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020.

Author: DN/Lusa

Source: DN

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