Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea for a rare visit, highlighting the deepening ties between the two countries and Moscow’s need to secure weapons from Pyongyang to support its ongoing war in Ukraine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally welcomed Putin at the plane ramp upon his arrival in Pyongyang early Wednesday morning local time, as shown in video footage of the event.
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According to state media, the two leaders engaged in an animated conversation for several minutes before heading to their motorcade.
They then traveled together to the Kumsusan State Guest House, where Putin will be staying. North Korean state media reported that the leaders “exchanged their pent-up innermost thoughts and opened their minds to more surely develop (North Korea-Russia) relations in conformity with the common desire and will of the peoples of the two countries.”
Once at the guesthouse, they had a “friendly chat,” according to Media.
The streets of Pyongyang were adorned with Russian flags and posters of Putin in anticipation of his first visit to the country since 2000. This visit marks a rare overseas trip for Putin since he initiated the invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and is a significant event for Kim, who has not hosted a world leader in North Korea since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Putin visit to North Korea will be closely observed worldwide and is expected to solidify the growing partnership between the two nations, rooted in their mutual hostility toward the West and Moscow’s need for munitions for the war in Ukraine.
After visiting North Korea, Putin will travel to Hanoi, highlighting the ties between Communist-ruled Vietnam and Russia, a move likely to irritate the United States.
Putin’s aide, Yuri Ushakov, mentioned during a Monday press conference that Putin’s trip to North Korea will feature a “very eventful” agenda. Both leaders plan to sign a new strategic partnership, according to Ushakov.
Ushakov emphasized that the agreement is not intended to provoke or target other countries, but to ensure greater stability in northeast Asia. This new agreement will replace documents signed between Moscow and Pyongyang in 1961, 2000, and 2001.
Satellite images from Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies revealed preparations for a significant parade in Pyongyang’s central square. One image showed a grandstand being built on the eastern side of Kim Il Sung Square, the usual site for major parades in North Korea. An earlier image from June 5 depicted North Koreans practicing marching formations.
US national security spokesman John Kirby stated on Monday that the Biden administration is not “concerned about the trip” itself, but is worried about the deepening ties between these two countries.
The US, South Korea, and other nations have accused North Korea of significantly aiding Russia’s war effort militarily in recent months. Observers are also concerned that Moscow might be violating international sanctions to assist Pyongyang’s development of its military satellite program. Both Russia and North Korea deny that North Korean arms have been exported.
Putin’s visit is a reciprocal gesture to Kim’s trip last September when the North Korean leader traveled by armored train to Russia’s far eastern region, visiting a fighter jet factory and a rocket-launch facility.
This visit occurs amid high tensions on the Korean peninsula and growing international concern over Kim’s intentions, as he has intensified hostile rhetoric and abandoned a long-standing policy of seeking peaceful reunification with South Korea.
On Tuesday, South Korea fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers briefly crossed into the South in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the second such incident in two weeks, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.
A ‘Progressing Partnership’
Kim recently praised the future of North Korea and Russia’s “meaningful ties and close comradeship” in a message to Putin for Russia’s national day on June 12. He expressed full support for the Russian army and people, as reported by the official newspaper.
In a Rodong Sinmun article published early Tuesday, Putin thanked Pyongyang for its “unwavering support” for Russia’s war in Ukraine. He stated that the two countries are “actively advancing their multifaceted partnership” and are prepared to confront the ambitions of the collective West. They plan to develop alternative trade mechanisms independent of Western control, oppose illegitimate unilateral restrictions, and shape a security architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.
The meeting follows a recent summit of the Group of Seven (G7) developed economies in Italy, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Western leaders reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and agreed to use profits from frozen Russian assets to back a $50 billion loan for the war-torn country.
It also comes after an international peace summit backed by Kyiv over the weekend, which was attended by more than 100 countries and organizations. The summit aimed to garner support for Zelensky’s peace plan, which calls for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.
Putin dismissed these efforts a day before the gathering by proposing his own peace terms, which included the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four partially occupied regions and that Kyiv abandons its bid to join NATO – conditions seen as unacceptable by Ukraine and its allies.
Putin’s visit to North Korea is widely viewed as an attempt to secure Kim’s support for his war effort, a goal that may have become more urgent as delayed American military aid for Ukraine begins to arrive.
Last month, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin informed American lawmakers that North Korean munitions and missiles, along with Iranian drones, had enabled Russian forces “to get back up on their feet.”
Between August and February, Pyongyang shipped approximately 6,700 containers to Russia, which could contain over 3 million rounds of 152 mm artillery shells or more than 500,000 rounds of 122 mm multiple rocket launchers, according to South Korea’s defense ministry earlier this year.
Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied such arms transfers, with a senior North Korean official last month calling the allegations an “absurd paradox.”
When asked about concerns that Russia might transfer sensitive technologies to Pyongyang in exchange for these goods, a Kremlin spokesperson stated last week that the countries’ “potential for developing bilateral relations” was “profound” and “should not cause concern to anyone and should not and cannot be challenged by anyone.”
Putin’s presence in global affairs
Putin’s last visit to North Korea was in 2000 during his first year as Russia’s president, where he met with Kim Jong Il, the predecessor of the current leader, Kim Jong Un.
His current travels to North Korea and then Vietnam reflect Putin’s efforts to regain a global presence, counteracting perceptions of isolation following the international backlash against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These trips aim to cultivate alliances with like-minded partners.
Last month, Putin visited Beijing, emphasizing shared opposition with Chinese leader Xi Jinping against what they perceive as a US-dominated global order. Moscow recently hosted foreign ministers from BRICS countries, including China, Iran, South Africa, and Brazil.
US national security spokesman John Kirby described Putin’s recent travels as a “charm offensive” following his uncontested re-election to a fifth term earlier this year.
Putin’s efforts to strengthen ties with North Korea have also benefited Kim, who has faced extensive international sanctions due to his country’s illicit nuclear weapons program. A visit from a leader of a UN Security Council permanent member signals Kim’s global standing and offers an opportunity to seek economic and technological support from Moscow.
Previously, Russia supported international sanctions and UN investigations into North Korea’s nuclear activities, which include tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland. However, Moscow’s increasing reliance on North Korea and escalating tensions with the West have altered this stance. In March, Russia vetoed a UN resolution to extend independent monitoring of North Korean sanctions violations.
