North Korea’s Kim arrives in Russia for Putin meeting

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for an expected meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, fueling the West’s concerns over North Korea providing Russia with military aid. 

Citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, The Associated Press reported Kim entered Russia, though his immediate location is unclear. State news agency RIA-Novosti said his train was going north after crossing the Razdolnaya River, taking it away from Vladivostok, where Kim was scheduled to attend the Eastern Economic Forum.

A South Korean news agency posted a photo that it said showed the train in Ussuriysk, a city about 40 miles north of Vladivostok. 

Putin and Kim are slated to meet after the forum with a lunch in Kim’s honor, The AP reported, citing Peskov. 

During the rare meeting, Russia is expected to seek ammunition from North Korea to refill reserves drained by its war in Ukraine. In exchange, North Korea would likely want food, energy shipments and transfers of sophisticated weapons technology, sparking ongoing concerns over a deepening cooperation between the two countries. 

The meeting could also bring concerns over the increasing threat of Kim’s nuclear weapons and missiles to the forefront, according to AP.

The relationship between the two isolated countries has fluctuated over the years, though they appear to be drawing closer to one another since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 

Kim left North Korea’s capital for Russia on Sunday night, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported, citing unidentified South Korean government sources. He is apparently accompanied by Jo Chun Ryong, a ruling party official in charge of munitions policies, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry. 

Also in the photos were Pak Thae Song, chairman of North Korea’s space science and technology committee and Navy Adm. Kim Myor Sik, who is connected to North Korean attempts to acquire spy satellites and nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines, The AP reported. 

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will be part of the Russian delegation, according to Peskov.