Putin receives Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome for their second summit
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un this Wednesday at the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Amur region in the Russian Far East, where they will hold a summit, the second since 2019. As expected, an agreement will also be reached the supply of weapons and military technology is on the agenda. According to US media published last week, Pyongyang would supply Russia with artillery and anti-tank munitions for use in Ukraine in return for the North Korean regime gaining access to Russian satellite technology and components for nuclear submarines.
Kim arrived at the cosmodrome’s rocket installation and testing building in a black limousine, and the two smiled, shook hands and exchanged a few words. “I’m glad to see you,” Putin said as he shook Kim’s hand for about 40 seconds. “This is our new cosmodrome.” Through an interpreter, Kim thanked Putin for the invitation and warm welcome, while the Russian leader expressed interest in the more than two-day train journey from the North Korean capital.
According to the Interfax agency, the delegations of both countries will hold negotiations for “several hours” at the Vostochny cosmodrome, and Putin and Kim will also hold a face-to-face meeting lasting about three hours. According to the same source, Putin is expected to show his counterpart the assembly of the Angara rocket before the meeting and that they will jointly inspect the launch complexes of the Angara and Soyuz-2 rockets.
Kim Jong-un is not the first foreign leader to be shown the cosmodrome, as Belarus President Alexandr Lukashenko has visited it several times and the leader of Burma’s military junta, Min, has also traveled to Vostochny. Aung Hlaing.
So far it is known that the Russian president will organize a lunch in honor of the North Korean leader and that there will be no press conference at the end of the negotiations.
The agenda includes bilateral relations and cooperation, trade and economic relations, cultural exchanges, international and regional affairs, as well as “sensitive issues” that are not made available to the public, according to Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
This latest mention by Putin’s press secretary is being interpreted as confirmation that the two leaders will discuss an arms supply deal from North Korea to Russia, which has been embroiled in the 567-day war it started in Ukraine. According to the New York Times, Putin wants North Korea to sell artillery ammunition and anti-tank missiles to Russia, while Pyongyang seeks advanced technology to make satellites and nuclear submarines, as well as oil production and food aid. .
Kim traveled to Russia with a delegation that included the defense and foreign ministers as well as senior military officials, including the director of the Industrial Department of Ammunition and also the secretary for science and education of the Workers’ Party Central Committee. , which is linked to the North Korean space program.