Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin meet in highly anticipated, ‘substantive’ talks
Mike Brest
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on Wednesday, and their talks were “very substantive,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The duo, which had not met in person since before the coronavirus pandemic, spent roughly five hours together, according to Russian state news agency TASS. They met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
“Our meeting is taking place at a special time. Most recently, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea celebrated 75 years of its creation,” Putin said, according to RIA. “Seventy-five years of establishing diplomatic relations between our countries. Let me remind you that it was our country that was the first, who recognized the sovereign, independent state of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”
Kim, in turn, said his country’s “very first priority is relations with the Russian Federation,” and added, “Russia has now risen to a sacred struggle to protect its state sovereignty and security in opposition to the hegemonic forces.”
Peskov called the negotiations “very substantive,” and said that North Korea “shows huge interest in developing bilateral ties with Russia.”
The highly anticipated meeting comes days after U.S. warnings that Moscow is seeking to procure military support from North Korea for its war in Ukraine. U.S. officials have accused Pyongyang of providing the Russian paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group with weapons in late 2022.
The U.S. has repeatedly warned potential Russian allies against aiding them in their war in Ukraine, North Korea included, and officials have reiterated that sentiment recently.
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“Our understanding is that this will focus on arms negotiations. And again, we would call on North Korea to meet its previous stated public commitments not to supply weapons to Russia, which will only end up prolonging the unnecessary war in Ukraine,” Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said on Tuesday.
U.S. officials have also argued that Russia’s desire for North Korean military assistance demonstrates desperation on the part of Putin and the Kremlin.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.