According to the US administration, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may fly to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin to explore a potential arrangement to provide Moscow with weapons for its war in Ukraine.
The National Security Council warned Monday that military talks between Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing,” following Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit to Pyongyang in July in an attempt to persuade Pyongyang to sell artillery ammo to Moscow.
“We have information that Kim Jong Un expects these discussions to continue, including leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” the council’s spokesman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
Watson did not provide a date or location for a prospective meeting between Kim and Putin in Russia.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, on the other hand, warned on Tuesday that it is “closely monitoring… the possibility of Kim Jong Un visiting Russia soon.”
The New York Times was the first to report about a possible meeting between Kim and Putin in Russia, which is scheduled to take place this month.
According to the source, the meeting might take place on the campus of a university in the eastern port city of Vladivostok, where the Eastern Economic Forum will be held between September 10 and 13.
Kim made his first trip to Russia as North Korea’s leader in 2019, traveling from Pyongyang to Vladivostok aboard an armored green train. The isolated North Korean leader prefers to travel by train.
Kim’s likely journey to Russia comes as the United States has expressed growing alarm over North Korea’s military assistance to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, which would be a violation of US sanctions.
Earlier this month, the US Treasury imposed restrictions on three firms it suspected of being involved in North Korean-Russian military trade.
Since Shoigu’s July visit, a second delegation of Russian officials has visited Pyongyang for further talks on a potential deal, and Putin and Kim have exchanged letters “pledging to increase their bilateral cooperation,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters last week.
North Korea provided infantry rockets and missiles to Wagner forces late last year, and the prospective agreement under consideration, according to Kirby, would supply Russian soldiers with far more weaponry.
Aside from North Korea, Russia has gotten drones and artillery from Iran.
Chinese state-owned defense enterprises have delivered technology and equipment to Russia, but US officials say they have found no evidence that China has provided weapons or deadly military help to Russia.
On Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russia was also considering joint military drills with North Korea.
“We are discussing it with everyone, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.” Why not? “These are our neighbors,” Shoigu told reporters, referring to North Korea by its official name.
“You don’t get to choose your neighbors, and it’s better to live in peace and harmony with your neighbors,” he remarked, using an old Russian proverb.
Since 2015, Russia has hosted the annual Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in an effort to stimulate international investment in the Russian Far East.
China, Russia’s most important diplomatic ally, has frequently sent high-level delegations to the event. In 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the event in person, as did senior lawmaker Li Zhanshu, the governing Communist Party’s third-ranking official. Beijing has yet to declare who will lead its delegation this year.
