Kim Jong Un To Visit Russia For Putin Talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin, the two Countries confirmed on Monday.

Kim will visit Russia in the coming days at the invitation of Putin, the Kremlin said, while North Korean State news agency KCNA said the two would “meet and have a talk”, without elaborating.

U.S. Officials have said the pair would discuss possible arms deals to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine and provide North Korea with a much-needed economic and political lifeline.

Despite denials by both Pyongyang and Moscow, the United States has said talks are advancing actively for North Korea to supply arms to Russia which has expended vast stocks of weapons in more than 18 months of war in Ukraine.

The North Korean leader appeared to have left aboard a special train bound for Russia, South Korean media reported on Monday, citing unnamed Senior Government sources, but neither Moscow nor Pyongyang immediately confirmed an exact schedule for the visit.

North Korea is one of the few Countries to have openly supported Russia since the invasion of Ukraine last year, and Putin pledged last week to “expand bilateral ties in all respects in a planned way by pooling efforts.”

REUTERS