Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have begun official talks in Pyongyang.

Putin arrived in the city before dawn on Wednesday in his first visit to the country in 24 years. Kim was at the airport to greet him and the two leaders travelled together to the Kumsusan State Guest House in a grand motorcade.

The visit is at Kim’s invitation and follows the two men’s talks last September at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in eastern Russia.

Russia and North Korea have deepened their relationship since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The United States and South Korea say Pyongyang has been providing weapons to Russia to use in Ukraine, in exchange for technological expertise to boost weapons development as Kim modernises his country’s military.

Putin landed in the North Korean capital before dawn on Wednesday morning where Kim was waiting to greet the Russian leader despite the early hour. 

The two men shook hands and hugged while a woman in a traditional Korean hanbok presented Putin with a bouquet of red roses. The North Korean leader then joined Putin in his limousine as they travelled together in a motorcade, along streets decorated with the Russian flag and portraits of the Russian leader, to the Kumsusan State Guest House.

Putin and Kim were later shown at an official welcoming ceremony in Kim Il Sung Square, with rows of soldiers standing to attention and crowds of children lined up in the square itself, which had been decorated with banners and balloons.

As talks got under way, Putin said Russia was fighting against the decades-long “hegemonic and imperialist policy” of the United States and its allies, according to Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti. He also told Kim that he appreciated North Korean support for Russian policy including in Ukraine, where Putin ordered a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Kim, meanwhile, offered Pyongyang’s “full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity,” according to RIA, saying that relations between the two countries were entering a new era of “high prosperity”.

Earlier, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, described the two leaders’ meeting as a historic event that showed the “invincibility and durability” of the friendship and unity between North Korea and Russia. The two countries’ relations had “emerged as a strong strategic fortress for preserving international justice, peace and security and an engine for accelerating the building of a new multi-polar world”, it added.

Putin is on his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, with relations between the two countries growing closer in the months since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and rising concern that Pyongyang is providing Russia with weapons in return for Russian technological expertise.

Putin and Kim walk in Kim Il Sung square as young children hold balloons and wave Russian and North Korean flags.

Moscow and Pyongyang have denied arms transfers but have promised to boost military ties.

Putin and Kim last met in eastern Russia in September 2023.

Putin is being accompanied by several top officials, including Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Mantrurov. His foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said several documents would be signed during the visit, possibly including an agreement on a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The visit includes a gala concert, a state reception and the laying of a wreath at the Liberation Monument, dedicated to the Red Army soldiers who helped liberate Korea during World War II, according to RIA.

Concerns about weapons
North Korea has been under strict United Nations Security Council sanctions for years over its nuclear weapons and missile programmes. Russia is also grappling with sanctions by the US and its allies over the invasion of Ukraine.

Along with China, North Korea’s main ally, Russia has repeatedly blocked US-led efforts to impose new UN sanctions over North Korea’s weapons tests and satellite launches.

In March, a Russian veto ended monitoring of UN sanctions, prompting Western accusations that Moscow was seeking to avoid scrutiny as it buys weapons from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine. US and South Korean officials have said they are discussing options for a new mechanism for monitoring Pyongyang.

In Washington, DC, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Putin’s visit to North Korea illustrated how Russia tried, “in desperation, to develop and to strengthen relations with countries that can provide it with what it needs to continue the war of aggression that it started against Ukraine”.

“North Korea is providing significant munitions to Russia… and other weapons for use in Ukraine. Iran has been providing weaponry, including drones, that have been used against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Blinken told reporters following a meeting with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday.

Stoltenberg reiterated concerns about the “potential support that Russia provides to North Korea when it comes to supporting their missile and nuclear programmes”.

The motorcade taking Putin and Kim into the city. Outriders in formation are in front. It is dark so the vehicles all have their lights on. There is a large billboard behind depicting Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung
The two leaders travelled in a giant motorcade along the streets of Pyongyang [Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool via Reuters]
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have risen in recent months, amid weapons tests in North Korea and large-scale military exercises in South Korea. A 2018 military agreement between the two countries fell apart last year and Pyongyang has been beefing up its defences at the border.

South Korea said on Tuesday that its forces had to fire warning shots after North Korean soldiers involved in laying mines and other activities crossed the border, apparently by mistake. A similar incident occurred on June 9.

Source: Al Jazeera 

BDST: 1222 HRS, JUNE 19, 2024
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