The go to may also spotlight the longevity of autocratic management in each international locations: Putin final visited North Korea 24 years in the past, quickly after he turned president for the primary time, when the nation was led by Kim Jong Il, the present chief’s father.
The go to was introduced by Russian and North Korean media.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday hailed the state of relations between the 2 international locations.
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“The potential for creating our bilateral relations may be very deep,” Peskov mentioned, in accordance with Interfax. “We imagine that our proper to develop good relations with our neighbors mustn’t trigger concern to anybody and can’t and shouldn’t be disputed by anybody.”
Putin’s journey will reciprocate Kim’s go to to Russia’s Far East in September final 12 months, when the North Korean chief referred to as his nation’s relations with Russia his prime precedence and pledged help for Moscow’s “sacred wrestle” in opposition to Ukraine.
The White Home has repeatedly accused North Korea of sending “tools and munitions” to Russia to replenish its dwindling provides for the warfare in Ukraine, together with ballistic missiles with a variety of roughly 550 miles and missile launchers.
North Korea is believed to have a big stockpile of dated artillery shells and rockets that might be suitable with Soviet and Russian weapons methods utilized in Ukraine, in addition to a manufacturing capability that might assist Russia preserve its excessive ammunition burn charge because the Kremlin seeks to scale up home manufacturing.
Pyongyang, for its half, is looking for to spice up its beleaguered financial system — it’s grappling with monetary hardship and meals insecurity following pandemic isolation and years of sanctions — and get entry to Moscow’s superior expertise for its satellite tv for pc and nuclear weapons applications.
Through the September journey, Putin took Kim to the Vostochny Cosmodrome, which symbolizes Moscow’s ambitions for pioneering house expertise. On the time, U.S. and South Korean officers warned that North Korea could be looking for vital applied sciences from Russia to spice up Pyongyang’s nuclear and weapons ambitions as missiles and rockets use a lot of the identical expertise.
North Korea’s house company in November put a “house launch automobile” — its identify for what seems to be a navy satellite tv for pc — into orbit after two failed makes an attempt. Kim lauded the satellite tv for pc as a “house guard” that might intensify his regime’s hostile reconnaissance on enemy nations, and the North Korean state media claimed it had photographed delicate navy and political websites in South Korea and the US, though it didn’t launch any imagery.
Nonetheless, consultants mentioned in February that the satellite tv for pc was “alive” after observing maneuvers that counsel Pyongyang was controlling the spacecraft.
Lyric Li in Seoul and Robyn Dixon in Riga, Latvia, contributed to this report.
