SEOUL, Sept 13 — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin were set to hold a rare summit in Russia, with the two isolated leaders expected to advance an arms negotiation and bolster military cooperation, Yonhap news agency reported.
Analysts have predicted that North Korea may agree to supply Russia with ammunition and weaponry for its war in Ukraine. Moscow, in return, may agree on a weapons-related technology transfer to Pyongyang, such as those involving spy satellites and nuclear-powered submarines.
If Kim and Putin also agreed to strengthen their military cooperation, including a three-way naval drill with China, it would pose a major security challenge on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
Kim said his trip to Russia for a meeting with Putin is a “clear manifestation” of North Korea prioritizing the “strategic importance” of their bilateral ties, the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Wednesday.
The KCNA confirmed that Kim’s train arrived at the Russian border city of Khasan at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, where Kim was welcomed by senior Russian officials, including Russia’s Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, and attended a ceremony marking his visit aimed at putting Pyongyang-Moscow relations on “a fresh higher level.”
Kim then left for his destination, the KCNA said, without specifying details.
It remains unknown exactly when and where Kim and Putin would hold a meeting, though some foreign media reports said the summit would likely take place Wednesday at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome space center in the Amur region.
