Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea for a two-day trip starting Tuesday, both countries announced, amid international concerns about their military cooperation.
Putin is expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for talks as they deepen their alignment in the face of confrontations with Washington. This will be Putin’s first trip to North Korea in 24 years.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency announced that Putin will pay a state visit on Tuesday and Wednesday at Kim’s invitation, though North Korean state media didn’t immediately provide further details. Russia confirmed the visit in a simultaneous announcement.
There are growing concerns about an arms arrangement in which Pyongyang provides Moscow with badly needed munitions to fuel Putin’s war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that would enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
Military, economic, and other cooperation between North Korea and Russia have increased since Kim visited the Russian Far East in September for a meeting with Putin, their first since 2019.
