Russian head of state wants to buy North Korean missiles and offers satellite technologies in return; The meeting will take place in Vladivostok
Kim Jongun, the leader of North Korea, plans to travel to Russia later this month to meet President Vladimir Putin. North Korean leaders must negotiate the export of more weapons to Russia for the war in Ukraine. Information comes from The New York Times.
Kim would probably travel from Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, by armored train to Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast, where he would meet Putin, the newspaper reported this Monday (September 4, 2023).
The potential meeting between Russian and North Korean leaders comes after the White House said arms negotiations between the two countries were “actively moving forward.”
On Wednesday (August 30), US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the Russian defense minister recently traveled to North Korea to “try to persuade Pyongyang to send artillery ammunition to Russia.” After the visit, Putin and Kim pledged to “strengthen their bilateral cooperation.”
The deals could include “significant quantities” of various types of North Korean munitions that Russia would use in offensives against Ukraine, Kirby said. He warned that any arms deal between Moscow and Pyongyang would violate UN Security Council resolutions.
Putin wants Kim to agree to send artillery shells and missiles to Russia, while Kim wants the Russian president to provide technology for satellites and nuclear submarines.
According to sources cited by the Times, the two leaders will attend the Eastern Economic Forum at the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok from September 10 to 13. In addition, Kim plans to visit Pier 33, where ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet dock.