Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on Tuesday, marking his first trip to the country in 24 years. He will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for talks in the capital, Pyongyang.
The two leaders last met in September at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East, but this will be Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang since 2000.
The United States has expressed concern about the “deepening relationship between these two countries.” The Kremlin has described the event as a “friendly state visit,” with Russian media reporting that Putin and Kim may sign a partnership agreement, including on security issues, and give joint statements to the media.
A parade in Kim Il Sung Square is anticipated, and Putin is also expected to watch a concert and visit the Orthodox Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang, the only Orthodox church in North Korea. Reports indicate that Putin will stay at the Kumsusan Guesthouse in Pyongyang, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping stayed during his 2019 state visit.
Putin is expected to arrive with his new Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak will also be part of the delegation.
Ahead of his visit, Putin praised North Korea for “firmly supporting” Moscow’s war in Ukraine in a letter published in North Korean state media. He promised to build trade and security systems with Pyongyang “that are not controlled by the West,” in an article printed in Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s ruling party mouthpiece.
President Putin also vowed support for Pyongyang’s efforts to defend its interests despite what he called “US pressure, blackmail, and military threats.” Kim Jong Un recently stated that ties with Russia had “developed into an unbreakable relationship of comrades-in-arms.”
During their meeting last
year, Putin expressed “possibilities” for military cooperation with North Korea, while Kim wished Russia “victory” in Ukraine.
The White House reiterated its concern over closer ties between Russia and North Korea. “We’re not concerned about the trip by Mr. Putin,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. “What we are concerned about is the deepening relationship between these two countries.”
John Nilsson-Wright, head of the Japan and Koreas programme at Cambridge University’s Centre for Geopolitics, noted that Putin is “strengthening ties with its old Cold War partner” to counter any suggestion that the US and its allies have been able to isolate Moscow. He added that Putin is bolstering relations between authoritarian regimes at a time when democratic governments are facing global security challenges in the Middle East, East Asia, and Ukraine.
In 2000, at the start of his presidential career, Putin met Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, who was then the supreme leader. Ties between the two countries have increased in recent years, especially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea needs help with space technology following its recent failure to put a second spy satellite into orbit, as well as food, fuel, and foreign currency. Russia, meanwhile, faces a continued shortage of weapons in its war in Ukraine. Washington and Seoul have accused Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with artillery and other equipment, likely in exchange for food, military aid, and technology. Both North Korea and Russia deny the existence of an arms deal.
After visiting North Korea, Putin is expected to visit Vietnam, a Communist state and long-time ally, where both countries are expected to discuss issues such as trade.
