LONDON — Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un began on Wednesday a meeting in Pyongyang, where the two are expected to reaffirm their strategic partnership in opposition to Western leaders.
Putin in his opening statement thanked Kim for his “unwavering support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine. Wednesday’s meeting, which comes on the first full day of Putin’s official state visit, is expected to last about nine hours.
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un (2nd-R) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd-L) during a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on June 19, 2024. (Photo by Vladimir SMIRNOV / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Vladimir Smirnov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The negotiations in North Korea are the latest in a series of discussions about trade and economic relations between the two countries, both of which are subject to Western sanctions.
The two heads of state held face-to-face talks in eastern Russia in September, which were followed by rounds of lower-level talks in both Pyongyang and Moscow.
“As a result of your visit to Russia last year, we made much headway in developing contemporary interstate relations,” Putin said in his opening statement, according to Interfax, a Russian news agency. “A new fundamental document has been drafted to lay a long-term foundation for our relations.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un attend a welcoming ceremony on June 19, 2024, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Contributor/Getty Images
North Korean state media on Wednesday said Kim’s government was hoping the meetings would lead to “deepening economic and trade relations” with Russia.
The U.S. State Department has said North Korea has shipped arms — including dozens of ballistic missiles and more than 11,000 containers of munitions — to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. U.S. officials said it was likely that Putin would ask for further military aid while in Pyongyang.
“We have seen him get incredibly desperate over the past few months and look to Iran to rebolster the military that he’s — military equipment that he has lost in Ukraine, to look to North Korea to rearm himself,” Matthew Miller, a state department spokesperson, said during a briefing on Tuesday. “And so I’m quite certain that that is what he’s up to.”
This photo provided Wednesday, June 19, 2024, by the North Korean government, Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un shake hands at the state guest house in Pyongyang, North Korea, early Wednesday, June 19.
Korea News Service via AP
North Korea on Wednesday hosted a welcome ceremony for Putin, who had arrived late Tuesday and stayed at a state guest house overnight.
Kim had greeted Putin as he stepped off his plane at Pyongyang International Airport. The two traveled in Putin’s private vehicle, passing “through charmingly lit streets” to the guest house where Putin stayed, North Korean state media reported.
The pair on Wednesday morning strolled through Kim Il Sung Square along a red carpet. They were greeted by throngs of North Koreans waving flowers, balloons and flags.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
Source Agencies
