N. Korea’s Kim set for arms talks with Putin in Russia— US

WASHINGTON, DC—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expects to make a rare trip abroad to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Russia to discuss providing arms to Moscow for its war in Ukraine, the United States said Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

Ukraine is pushing a highly-scrutinized counteroffensive in both the south and east that Putin on Monday dismissed as a failure, though Moscow appears eager to urgently secure more military supplies to bolster its forces.

The White House’s National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said that “arms negotiations between Russia and the DPRK are actively advancing,” using an acronym for North Korea.

“We have information that Kim Jong Un expects these discussions to continue, to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” she added.

The United States last week warned that Russia was already in secret talks with the North to acquire a range of munitions and supplies for Moscow’s war effort.

Kim is likely to head by armored train later this month to Vladivostok, on Russia’s Pacific coast not far from North Korea, to meet with Putin, according to The New York Times.

The paper said Putin wanted artillery shells and antitank missiles from North Korea, and Kim could even travel to Moscow, but that was uncertain.

Kim is reported to be seeking advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines as well as food aid for his impoverished nation.

An official at Seoul’s unification ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, said various developments “indicated” the growing possibility of an arms deal between Pyongyang and Moscow.

“Any form of cooperation between North Korea and neighboring countries must be conducted in a way that does not undermine international norms and peace,” he told reporters.

Washington said last week that despite its denials, North Korea supplied infantry rockets and missiles to Russia in 2022 for use by the privately controlled Wagner military group.