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Kim “left here by his train on Sunday afternoon to visit the Russian Federation” and was accompanied by senior figures in the Communist Party, the government and military agencies, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
KCNA did not report on the location of Kim’s train on Tuesday, including whether it had crossed the Russian border.
On Monday the agency had reported that “the respected Comrade Kim Jong-un will meet and have a talk with Comrade Putin during the visit.”
Washington swiftly derided the coming summit as a sign that Putin was “begging” for help with his floundering invasion of Ukraine.
Kim, Putin to meet ‘in coming days’ sparking arms deal concerns for Moscow’s war
Kim, Putin to meet ‘in coming days’ sparking arms deal concerns for Moscow’s war
Vladivostok will be hosting the Eastern Economic Forum until Wednesday.
Moscow, a historical ally of Pyongyang, was a crucial backer of the isolated country for decades and their ties go back to the founding of North Korea 75 years ago.
Kim has been steadfast in his support for Moscow’s Ukraine invasion, including, Washington says, supplying rockets and missiles.
In July, Putin hailed Pyongyang’s “firm support for special military operations against Ukraine”.
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North Korean leader Kim to travel abroad for meeting with Russian leader Putin in September: report
North Korean leader Kim to travel abroad for meeting with Russian leader Putin in September: report
The White House recently warned that Pyongyang would “pay a price” if it supplies Moscow with weaponry for its war in Ukraine.
On Monday the United States described Putin as desperate in seeking a meeting with Kim.
“Having to travel across the length of his own country to meet with an international pariah to ask for assistance in a war that he expected to win in the opening month, I would characterise it as him begging for assistance,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
“President Putin launched this war against Ukraine, with its full-scale aggression, with a dream of restoring the glory of the Russian Empire. That hope, that expectation of his, has failed,” Miller said.
Washington has said Russia could use weapons from North Korea to attack Ukrainian food supplies and heating infrastructure heading into winter to “try to conquer territory that belongs to another sovereign nation”.
North Korea marks founding day with parade, deepens ties with China, Russia
North Korea marks founding day with parade, deepens ties with China, Russia
Miller renewed US warnings that a Moscow weapons deal with Pyongyang could trigger further sanctions.
Andrei Lankov, a North Korea expert at Kookmin University in Seoul, told Agence France-Presse that a Putin-Kim summit was part of Moscow’s “gentle diplomatic blackmail” of Seoul because Russia did not want South Korea to supply weapons to Kyiv.
“The major worry of the Russian government now is a possible shipment of the South Korean ammunition to Ukraine, not just one shipment but a lot of shipments,” Lankov said.
Kim is known for his preference for train travel when it comes to international trips. His father and predecessor, Kim Jong-il, was famously scared of flying.
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