Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed on Wednesday that the country will help North Korea launch satellites ahead of a meeting at a space base with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
According to Russian state media, at the Vostochny space base, when asked whether Pyongyang wanted Moscow’s help in building satellites, Putin said: “That’s why we came here.”
Kim Jong Un “is showing great interest in missile technology. They are also trying to develop space travel,” Putin said, referring to North Korean officials.
State media said North Korean leader Putin asked numerous questions about the Soyuz-2s during a visit to a Russian space rocket launch facility in Vostochny.
In recent months, North Korea has repeatedly failed attempts to put its first military spy satellite into orbit, something Kim Jong Un had described as crucial to increasing the threat from its nuclear missiles.
The Russian presidency said in a press release that the two leaders also visited the assembly site of the Angara launcher and the place where the launch pad for this new generation of Russian missiles is built.
Putin and Kim were accompanied by the Deputy Prime Minister and Plenipotentiary Representative to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev, the director of the Russian space agency Roscosmos Yuri Boríov and the general director of JSC TsENKI, the organization that manages the base . Vostochny, Nikolai Netechuk.
“We will talk about all topics without rushing, there is time,” Putin replied when asked by journalists from the state press about military cooperation between the two countries.
After the visit, the two leaders began bilateral talks, official Russian news agencies said, highlighting the presence of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu among the two countries’ delegations.
According to state media, Kim Jong Un said North Korea supports Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, which he described as “a holy struggle to defend its sovereignty and security.”
“We have always supported all of President Putin’s decisions and will continue to do so,” Kim told the Russian leader at the start of the talks.
“I hope we will always be together in the fight against imperialism,” the North Korean leader emphasized, adding that relations with Moscow are currently Pyongyang’s “top priority.”
“We have many issues, including politics, economics and culture,” to discuss, Kim added.
According to footage broadcast on Russian television, Putin said the discussions will focus in particular on the “situation in the region,” “economic cooperation” and “humanitarian issues.”
Source: DN
