- North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un is in Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
- They are likely to discuss an arms deal as Russia faces a Ukrainian counter-offensive, a US official said.
- Mr Kim is accompanied by senior government officials, including military personnel, KCNA reported.
- Pyongyang’s relations with Moscow are in the spotlight, with Kim choosing Russia, not China, as his first foreign visit raising the prospect that he may be looking to balance the two major powers on his borders.
- Early in his rule, Kim’s relations with Beijing and Moscow were chilly, with both countries joining international sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
The coming meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could help reshape how the reclusive and distrustful North has dealt with its partners in Moscow and Beijing, analysts say.
When Kim visited Russia for the first time in 2019, his summit with Putin was almost an afterthought amid the flashier meetings with then-U.S. President Donald Trump and multiple visits to meet with North Korea’s only treaty ally and main economic partner, China.
This year, Pyongyang’s relations with Moscow are in the spotlight, with Kim choosing Russia, not China, as his first foreign visit since before the COVID-19 pandemic, raising the prospect that he may be looking to balance the two major powers on his borders against each other, analysts said.
It remains to be seen whether Putin and Kim agree on anything substantive such as an arms deal or economic aid, but their moves to repair ties may have implications for the war in Ukraine, tensions with South Korea and Japan, and the China-U.S. rivalry.
“North Korea has basically been on its own, without any true allies, Now North Korea needs allies in the full politico-military sense of the term. China will be Pyongyang’s main ally and protector, but Russia will have a role too,” an expert said. “Unlike the China-North Korea alliance, the Russia-North Korea alliance will be that of equals,” he added.
Early in his rule, Kim’s relations with Beijing and Moscow were chilly, with both countries joining international sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and missile programs. Since 2018, however, Kim has moved to repair ties and has capitalized on rivalries that have split China and Russia from the United States and others.
Pyongyang and Moscow have denied that North Korea would supply arms to Russia, but they have vowed to boost military ties, possibly including joint drills, and discussions may also include Russian humanitarian aid to the North.
China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the summit.
“Putin is unlikely to provide Kim with technology to miniaturize nuclear devices or propel nuclear-powered submarines because even a desperate war machine does not trade its military crown jewels for old, dumb munitions, trust is so low among Russia, North Korea, and China that a real alliance of the three isn’t credible or sustainable.” Another expert said.
(With inputs from agencies)
