Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a bilateral meeting this Wednesday (13) at the Vostochny cosmodrome, in the Amur region, in Russia’s Far East. It is the second time that the two leaders have met. The last time Kim was in Russia was in 2019.
:: In an armored train, Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia to meet with Putin ::
After a meeting that lasted more than two hours, the leaders of the two countries participated in an official dinner. In total, the summit lasted more than five hours. The expectation for the meeting was that Putin and Kim would discuss the transfer of North Korean weapons to Moscow in exchange for military technology for Pyongyang.
“We discussed in depth the political-military situation on the Korean Peninsula and in Europe and reached a satisfactory consensus on further strengthening strategic and tactical cooperation, supporting solidarity in the struggle to protect the sovereign right to security, to create guarantees of lasting peace ” Kim said according to the Kremlin.
The North Korean leader emphasized that his visit comes at a time “when a fierce confrontation between progress and reaction is unfolding in the international arena.”
“I’m glad to see you,” Putin said after greeting the North Korean leader and before heading to inspect the Soyuz-2 space rocket launch complex. The Russian president said Kim “shows great interest in rocket technology.”
“Our meeting is taking place at a special time. Most recently, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea celebrated 75 years of its creation,” Putin said. “Seventy-five years of establishing diplomatic relations between our countries. Let me remind you that it was our country that was the first to recognize the sovereign and independent state of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” he added.
Kim, in turn, expressed gratitude and noted that at North Korea’s current stage, “the first priority is relations with the Russian Federation.”
“Russia has now begun a sacred struggle to protect the sovereignty and security of its State in opposition to hegemonic forces,” he highlighted.
During the brief open part of the talks, Kim said North Korea wants to develop relations because it has always supported “every decision of President Putin and the Russian government.”
“I also hope that we will always be together in the fight against imperialism and for the construction of a sovereign state”, added the North Korean leader.
Editing: Thales Schmidt
