On Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will travel home in his special armored train. Before that, he received Russian drones as a “parting gift”.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sunday ended his multi-day visit to Russia, which was dominated by military themes. As a farewell, Kim received, among other things, several combat drones and a reconnaissance drone, as reported by Russian news agencies. In a joint meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, both sides agreed on closer cooperation – including “possibly” in the military area.
According to Russian news agencies Ria-Novosti and Tass, Kim left in his special armored convoy from the Artyom-Primzorsky-1 station, in the far east of the country, towards the common border. A video published by Ria-Novosti showed Kim waving to the Russian delegation led by Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov after a farewell ceremony at the railway station, before the procession departed to the sound of Russian marching music.
Meeting at the spaceport
Kim arrived in the Russian Far East on Tuesday for his first trip abroad since the corona pandemic and met Putin a day later at the Vostochny cosmodrome. The trip fueled Western fears that Russia wants to buy military equipment from North Korea for its offensive in Ukraine. North Korea, in turn, is suspected of wanting to acquire technology from Russia for its nuclear and missile programs.
According to Tass, the governor of the Russian border region of Primorye gave Kim as a farewell gift five “kamikaze drones,” a reconnaissance drone, a bulletproof vest and “special clothing that cannot be detected by surveillance cameras.” thermal imaging.”
The highlight of the multi-day visit was Kim’s meeting with Putin on Wednesday at the Vostochny cosmodrome, about 8,000 kilometers from Moscow. Kim assured Moscow of his country’s full support. Putin has promised closer cooperation with the Stalinist-led and internationally isolated country – including the “possibility” of military cooperation.
Weapons, planes, missile systems
In a symbolic act, Putin and Kim exchanged weapons. The Kremlin later announced that the Russian president had accepted Kim’s invitation to visit North Korea. Although the Kremlin assured that “no agreement was signed” during Kim’s visit, this did not allay Western fears. Military themes dominated Kim’s visit too much. Among other things, on Friday he visited an aircraft factory in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where fighter jets are built. On Saturday, together with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, he inspected Russian nuclear bombers and the Kinschal hypersonic missile system. Kim’s delegation was mainly made up of high-ranking military officers.
Washington has repeatedly warned against military cooperation between the two sanctioned countries. Such cooperation would be “quite disruptive and potentially violate several UN Security Council resolutions,” said US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The official North Korean news agency KCNA, in turn, praised the “fervent and warm” atmosphere during Kim’s visit and spoke of a “new era of friendship, solidarity and cooperation” between the two countries. (APA)