Possible meeting in Vladivostok
“As we have warned publicly, arms negotiations between Russia and the DPRK are actively proceeding,” National Security Council (NSC) spokesman Adrian Watson said, using an acronym for the North. “We have information that Kim Jong Un expects to continue these discussions, including a leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia.” According to The New York Times, Kim – who rarely travels outside her country. He may travel to Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast, not far from North Korea, later this month to meet Putin.
Doubts on the meeting in Moscow
The newspaper said that Kim may also go to Moscow, but this is uncertain. NSC spokesman John Kirby said last week that despite its denials, North Korea had supplied Russia with infantry rockets and missiles in 2022 for use by the privately controlled Wagner military group. Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to North Korea last month to obtain additional war material, Watson said. “We urge the DPRK to end its arms negotiations with Russia and to abide by Pyongyang’s public commitments not to provide or sell arms to Russia,” Watson said.
At the United Nations last week, the US, Britain, South Korea and Japan said in a joint statement that any agreement to increase bilateral cooperation between Russia and North Korea would be inconsistent with Security Council resolutions banning arms deals with Pyongyang, which it would violate. Moscow itself supported. He said that after Shoigu’s visit to Pyongyang, another group of Russian officials traveled to North Korea for talks on arms purchases.
Any talks between Kim and Putin would come as Ukraine continues to mount an increasingly intense counteroffensive in the south and east of the country, which Putin claimed on Monday was failing. “It’s not that it’s stalling, it’s a failure,” Putin said Monday. “At least it seems so today, let’s see what happens next.”
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