Putin visits North Korea for summit with Kim Jong Un
Putin promises North Korea trade and security beyond the West
In a letter published by North Korean state media, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised the isolated state his full support.
- Putin’s visit to North Korea is his first since 2000.
- The two heads of state are expected to discuss Russia’s need for weapons and North Korea’s need for aid.
- The visit takes place against the backdrop of both countries being isolated from the West.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a “comprehensive” diplomatic and defense pact on Wednesday, coming as the two nuclear powers deepened ties despite their isolation from the West.
Kim told Putin that he supports Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The agreement was signed during a rare trip by Putin to North Korea, his first in nearly a quarter of a century, and his first visit to the isolated country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
That is what Putin’s visit to Kim, which lasts until Wednesday, is about.
As the war in Ukraine rages on: Russia’s Vladimir Putin visits North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un: The two have met before, right?
Correct. Several times. Kim visited eastern Russia in September last year. He traveled there in a luxurious, battle-ready, giant green train. The two leaders also held face-to-face talks in 2019.
However, Putin last visited the North Korean capital Pyongyang in July 2000, four months after his election as president. There he also met Kim’s father, the then ruler Kim Jong Il.
Russia and North Korea were close allies during the Cold War. Relations cooled with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin was due to travel to Vietnam on Wednesday evening for a state visit.
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What will Putin and Kim – pariahs in the West – talk about?
Before his departure from Russia, it was officially said that Putin had only paid a “friendly visit” to North Korea, the Kremlin said. The state news agency KCNA also announced the visit, but did not provide any further details.
But the trip has a subtext that was made clear in Wednesday’s agreement, even if it provided few details.
Russia’s stockpiles of conventional weapons such as artillery shells and short-range missiles are running low amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Kim leads a country capable of supplying these munitions.
For North Korea, this is an opportunity to acquire modern military technology and help from Russia. Years of Western economic sanctions because of the nuclear weapons program have ruined North Korea’s economy. An estimated 60 percent of the total population, or 15 million people, live below the poverty line.
In a letter published by North Korean state media on Tuesday, Putin said the two countries would “develop alternative mechanisms of trade and mutual arrangements that are not controlled by the West.”
On Wednesday, Putin said the partnership “provides, among other things, mutual support in the event of aggression against one of the parties.” Kim pledged Russia’s “full support and solidarity” in the Ukraine war. According to Russian state media, he also described Russia as “the most honest friend and ally.”
Victor Cha, a former U.S. national security official who now works for the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said the summit posed the greatest threat to U.S. national security since the Korean War.
“This relationship, deeply rooted in history and given new strength by the war in Ukraine, undermines the security of Europe, Asia and the American homeland,” he wrote in a report on Monday.
A possible cooperation between North Korea and Russia in the war against Ukraine is “deeply worrying” for the White House, press spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a briefing on Tuesday.
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What is planned for the visit?
Planning for the summit was shrouded in secrecy, as befits two leaders long known for their security paranoia and assassination attempts. And North Korea does not often receive visits from important foreign leaders.
Russian state media RIA reported that Putin’s visit was an official state visit, meaning it was celebrated with a lavish official welcoming ceremony, honor guards and musical performances. Putin gave Kim a luxury car, a tea set and a dagger, according to Russian state media.
Putin’s entourage included several deputy prime ministers, the Russian foreign minister and the new defense minister Andrei Belousov. Putin stayed overnight at the Kumsusan Guest Palace in Pyongyang.
The palatial building was built specifically for Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea in 2019. According to South Korean state media, it is surrounded by a small lake and a forest and is located near the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the remains of Kim’s father and grandfather are laid to rest.
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