Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea on Tuesday for a “friendly” trip, the Kremlin announced, as the West suspects Pyongyang of supplying Moscow with weapons for its Ukraine offensive.
The visit to the world’s most isolated state comes as Putin seeks ammunition to continue his military campaign launched in February 2022, which has resulted in Moscow’s unprecedented global isolation.
It also follows nine months after Putin hosted North Korea’s Kim Jong Un on a rare foreign trip to the Russian Far East, where they praised each other.
“President Vladimir Putin, on June 18-19 will go to the North Korean Democratic Republic on a friendly state visit,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
Moscow said Putin would then travel to Vietnam.
Western countries, South Korea, and Kyiv have accused Pyongyang of sending weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine, violating UN sanctions on North Korea.
Washington and Seoul say Russia has provided Pyongyang with technical help for its satellite program and sent aid to the food-strapped state in return.
Putin has limited his foreign trips since launching the Ukraine offensive but has made high-profile visits to Moscow’s key allies, such as China.
Pyongyang rarely hosts foreign guests, being diplomatically isolated and having further closed itself off since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Russia and North Korea, which share a small land border, have historic ties since the Soviet Union helped found the state after the Korean War in the 1950s.
Since the fall of the USSR, Russia has maintained working relations with Pyongyang.
‘Comrades-in-arms’
This will be Putin’s second visit to North Korea during his time in power, following a trip 24 years ago, shortly after becoming president, to meet Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il.
Back then, Putin was a frequent traveler, regularly visiting the United States and Europe.
Now Russia faces heavy international sanctions, and the Kremlin leader is persona non grata in most of the Western world, officially wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Kim said last week that ties with Russia had “developed into an unbreakable relationship of comrades-in-arms.”
When the leaders met in September, Putin mentioned “possibilities” for military cooperation with North Korea, while Kim wished the Kremlin chief “victory” in Ukraine.
They exchanged symbolic gifts of rifles, and the Kremlin promised that Putin would visit in return.
Several Russian officials, including Moscow’s spy chief, have since visited North Korea to prepare for Putin’s visit.
In March, Russia used its UN Security Council veto to end UN monitoring of North Korean sanctions violations, seen as a victory for Pyongyang.
Both Russia and North Korea have denied that Pyongyang’s weapons are being used in Ukraine.
Kim’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, accused Seoul and Washington last month of “misleading public opinion” on the issue.
North Korean shells
Ukraine has reported finding North Korean shells on the battlefield.
In May, South Korea said its northern rival fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles, with some experts suggesting they could be tests for weapons intended for use against Ukraine.
As the Kremlin and Pyongyang have publicly strengthened their ties, Moscow’s relationship with South Korea — a Ukraine supporter — has been strained.
Seoul is a major weapons exporter to Kyiv. Its President Yoon Suk Yeol last month promised to maintain support in a phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
South Korea recently announced separate sanctions on Russian and North Korean individuals and companies allegedly trading military supplies.
Earlier this year, Russia detained a South Korean man, Baek Won-soon, on spy charges. He is believed to be the first South Korean detained on espionage charges in Russia for decades.
According to media reports, he may have been a missionary helping North Korean workers in Russia escape the country.
