Russia’s Vladimir Putin arrives for rare visit to North Korea
Mr Putin, who will be making his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, said he highly appreciates its firm support of his invasion of Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea early on Wednesday, Russian news agencies say.
Mr Putin said the two countries want to co-operate closely to overcome US-led sanctions in the face of intensifying confrontations with Washington.
The Russian president was met at Pyongyang’s airport by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. They shook hands and embraced, and Mr Kim later joined Mr Putin in his car to personally guide him to Pyongyang’s Kumsusan State Guest House, North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
The agency described their meeting as a historic event that demonstrates the “invincibility and durability” of the two nations’ friendship and unity.
He said the countries would continue to “resolutely oppose” what he described as Western ambitions “to hinder the establishment of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect for sovereignty, considering each other’s interests”.
In the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, the streets were decorated with portraits of Putin and Russian flags.
A banner on a building said: “We warmly welcome the President of the Russian Federation.”
Mr Putin also said in his published remarks that Russia and North Korea will develop trade and payment systems “that are not controlled by the West” and jointly oppose sanctions against the countries, which he described as “illegal, unilateral restrictions”.
North Korea is under heavy UN Security Council economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also grappling with sanctions by the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.
Mr Putin said the countries will also expand co-operation in tourism, culture and education.
The visit comes amid growing concerns about an arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions to fuel Mr Putin’s war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that would enhance the threat posed by Mr Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
US and South Korean officials have accused the North of providing Russia with artillery, missiles and other military equipment to help prolong its fighting in Ukraine, possibly in return for key military technologies and aid.
Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied accusations about North Korean weapons transfers, which would violate multiple UN Security Council sanctions Russia previously endorsed.
Along with China, Russia has provided political cover for Mr Kim’s continuing efforts to advance his nuclear arsenal, repeatedly blocking US-led efforts to impose fresh UN sanctions on the North over its weapons tests.
Earlier this year, Mr Putin sent Mr Kim a high-end Aurus Senat limousine, which he had shown to the North Korean leader when they met for a summit in September. Observers said the shipment violated a UN resolution banning the supply of luxury items to North Korea.
Mr Putin has continuously sought to rebuild ties with Pyongyang as part of efforts to restore his country’s clout and its Soviet-era alliances.
After North Korea, the Kremlin said Mr Putin will also visit Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday for talks that are expected to be focused on trade. The United States, which has spent years strengthening ties and accelerating trade with Vietnam, criticised Mr Putin’s planned visit.
“As Russia continues to seek international support to sustain its illegal and brutal war against Ukraine, we reiterate that no country should give Mr Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalise his atrocities,” a US Embassy spokesperson in Vietnam said in a statement.
