North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived in Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin, Japanese media reported, amid concerns from the US that the two are close to agreeing an arms deal.
Mr Kim boarded his personal, armoured train on Sunday afternoon, North Korea’s official news agency said, and is believed to have been accompanied by the top arms industry, military officials and the foreign minister.
This is his first trip outside North Korea since the Covid-19 pandemic, when the country’s borders closed, and his second meeting with Mr Putin since April 2019 when the leaders held talks in eastern Russia.
Mr Kim’s green locomotive is heading towards the Russian city of Vladivostok and the meeting will take place “in coming days” after the conclusion of the Eastern Economic Forum, the Kremlin has said.
The two leaders may talk about Moscow sending humanitarian aid to Pyongyang, Russian news agencies cited Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Rudenko as saying.
“It will be a full-fledged visit,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “There will be negotiations between two delegations, and after that, if necessary, the leaders will continue their communication in a one-on-one format.”
After decades of complicated relations, Russia and North Korea have become closer since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The bond has been driven by Mr Putin’s need for war supplies and Mr Kim’s efforts to boost his partnerships with traditional allies Moscow and Beijing as he tries to break out of diplomatic isolation.
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