President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia will make a state go to in North Korea starting Tuesday for a gathering with its chief, Kim Jong-un, the Kremlin and North Korean state media stated Monday. It will likely be their second assembly in 9 months, as the 2 international locations deepen navy ties to help Mr. Putin’s battle in Ukraine with North Korean weapons.
Mr. Putin final visited North Korea in 2000, when he turned the primary Russian or Soviet chief to go to the nation. The journey highlights North Korea’s rising strategic significance for Mr. Putin, particularly its skill to produce badly wanted standard weapons for the battle in Ukraine.
For Mr. Kim, it was a uncommon second of his nation, a pariah within the West, being wanted as an ally.
“On the invitation of the Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin can pay a pleasant state go to to the Democratic Individuals’s Republic of Korea on June 18-19,” the Kremlin stated.
Days earlier than Mr. Putin’s arrival in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, the Kremlin vowed to foster cooperation with North Korea “in all areas.” This new period of relations between the 2 international locations was obvious when the 2 leaders met within the Russian Far East in September.
Pyongyang and Moscow have been Chilly Struggle-era allies whose relations cooled after the disintegration of the Soviet Union. However up to now couple of years, they’ve once more grown nearer as they shared hostilities towards the USA — Russia over its battle in opposition to Ukraine and North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.
