Foreign Desk: North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday, September 12, upon an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was officially welcomed by Putin during his visit. This information has been confirmed by the South Korean news agency Yonhap. Prior to this, the Russian news agency Interfax had reported that Kim would be traveling to Russia at any time.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Jong Un and a delegation of top North Korean officials have boarded a military train bound for Russia. Among them are senior military officers from the North Korean government.
This marks Kim Jong Un’s first international trip in over four years, as he had refrained from traveling abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than four years ago, in 2019, Kim had visited Russia, traveling on a bulletproof train. Due to its considerable weight, the train could not travel faster than 59 kilometers per hour, and it took about 20 hours to reach Vladivostok.
The White House has indicated that there could be discussions about an arms agreement between North Korea and Russia. However, the Biden administration had already expressed caution about not providing any weaponry to Pyongyang.
On Tuesday, September 5th, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned that if North Korea reaches an arms agreement with Russia, Kim Jong Un would have to pay a steep price.
Earlier, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited North Korea in July to discuss the possibility of purchasing weapons from Pyongyang.