North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Hosts Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to pay a state visit to Pyongyang on June 18, where he will engage in talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Despite prior meetings between the two leaders, this marks Mr. Putin’s first visit to the North Korean capital in 24 years.

Accompanying Mr. Putin is a high-level delegation including Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, and other top Russian officials.

Prior to his trip, the Russian leader highlighted the longstanding bonds between the two countries.

“Pyongyang has consistently supported us and shares our views,” Mr. Putin stated in a message conveyed by North Korea’s state media.

North Korean media outlets celebrated Mr. Putin’s visit by publishing articles praising Russia and endorsing Moscow’s foreign policies.

One article mentioned, “The Korean people stand with the Russian government and people, backing their efforts to protect their national sovereignty and security interests.”

In a public message, Mr. Putin criticized the “collective West” for striving to maintain its “global dominance” at the expense of sovereign nations.

He noted that like Russia, North Korea is prepared to confront the collective West and resist efforts to hinder the establishment of a just and respectful multipolar world order based on national sovereignty.

Both nations aim to establish alternative trade and settlement mechanisms independent of the West and push back against illegitimate Western sanctions.

Both Russia and North Korea have faced economic sanctions imposed by the West in the past.

In 2017, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions on Pyongyang following a ballistic missile test, escalating tensions in the region.

In 2022, Russia partnered with China to block US-led efforts to impose fresh UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea related to its ballistic missile program.

During Mr. Putin’s one-day visit to Pyongyang, aside from talks with Kim Jong Un, there will be a state reception, gala concert, document-signing session, and a joint press conference.

After leaving Pyongyang on June 19, Mr. Putin and his delegation are set to visit Hanoi for discussions with Vietnamese officials.

Arms Transfer Allegations

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Moscow has openly sought to strengthen ties with Pyongyang, which has raised concerns in Washington.

US claims have been frequent, suggesting that North Korea is covertly supplying Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine.

Previously, Moscow and Pyongyang publicly committed to enhancing bilateral cooperation, particularly in military technology.

Last September, Mr. Putin met Kim Jong Un at a significant summit in Russia’s Far East.

Following the summit, Moscow stated that the growing ties between the two countries include military collaboration and discussions on critical security matters.

Western officials speculated about arms and technology exchanges between Russia and North Korea after the Putin-Kim summit last year.

At that time, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan cautioned that Pyongyang would face consequences if found providing Moscow with weapons for use in Ukraine.

In January, Mr. Putin hosted North Korea’s foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, for rare talks at the Kremlin.

Subsequently, a Kremlin spokesperson described Pyongyang as an important partner with whom Moscow aimed to further relations in various areas, including sensitive ones.

Ms. Choe affirmed that her meeting in Moscow indicated that bilateral ties were rapidly advancing.

New ‘Security Architecture’

Prior to Ms. Choe’s visit to Moscow, the White House, citing declassified intelligence, alleged that Russia was utilizing short-range North Korean missiles to target locations in Ukraine.

On June 17, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller reiterated this claim, stating that Pyongyang had recently supplied Russia with numerous ballistic missiles and over 11,000 munitions containers.

Miller mentioned that Mr. Putin was becoming more “desperate” to replace lost arms on the battlefield and was seeking to acquire them from North Korea and Iran.

Meanwhile, Moscow has consistently denied Western assertions of receiving arms shipments from either nation.

Nonetheless, Mr. Putin’s state visit to Pyongyang indicates that the bilateral ties are stronger than ever.

Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov indicated to reporters that Moscow and Pyongyang could potentially sign a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty during or shortly after Mr. Putin’s visit.

Mr. Ushakov noted that this agreement would consider recent developments in international politics, economics, and security issues between the two countries in recent years.

In his public message, Mr. Putin expressed hope for the establishment of an equal and indivisible security structure in Eurasia with North Korea.

Reuters contributed to this report.