Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that his 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, when asked if Pyongyang wanted Moscow’s help in building satellites, Putin said at the Vostochny space base: “That’s why we came here.”
Kim Jong-un “shows great interest in rocket technology. They are also trying to develop space,” Putin said, referring to North Korean officials.
State media said the North Korean leader asked Putin numerous questions about Soyuz-2 during a visit to a Russian space rocket launch facility in Vostochny.
In recent months, North Korea has repeatedly failed in its attempts to launch its first military spy satellite into orbit, something Kim Jong-un had described as crucial to raising the threat from its nuclear-capable missiles.
The Russian presidency indicated, in a statement, that the two leaders also visited the assembly site of the Angara launcher and the place where the launch platform for this new generation of Russian rockets is being built.
Putin and Kim were accompanied by the deputy prime minister and plenipotentiary representative in 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 agency that manages the base. Vostochny, Nikolai Nestechuk.
“We will talk about all issues without rushing, there is time,” Putin responded when journalists from the state press asked him about military cooperation between the two countries.
After the visit, the two leaders began bilateral talks, reported the official Russian news agencies, which highlighted the presence of the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, among the delegations of the two countries.
According to state media, Kim Jong-un affirmed that North Korea supports Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine, something he described as “a sacred struggle to defend its sovereignty and security.”
“We have always supported and continue to support all of President Putin’s decisions,” 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 stressed, 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 images broadcast on Russian television, Putin stated that the debates will focus, in particular, on the “situation in the region”, “economic cooperation” and “humanitarian issues.”
Source: TSF
