Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to North Korea tomorrow for a ‘friendly’ visit amid suspicion Moscow is seeking to secure a long-term supply of munitions for its war in Ukraine from Pyongyang.
The Kremlin chief’s visit to the world’s most reclusive state comes with the window for Russia‘s forces to consolidate battlefield gains in eastern Ukraine shrinking, with the arrival of more Western arms and the first delivery of F-16 fighter jets imminent.Â
It also comes nine months after Putin hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a rare foreign trip to the Russian Far East, where the pair lavished each other with praise.
Putin has been in power in Russia, either as President or Prime Minister, for almost a quarter century, but his arrival in North Korea tomorrow will mark just the second visit to the country since he was made president in 2000.
He made his first trip just months into his first-ever presidential term 24 years ago to meet Kim Jong Un’s father Kim Jong Il.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during a meeting at the Vostochny cosmodrome outside the city of Tsiolkovsky in the far eastern Amur region of Russia on Sept. 13, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il (L) during their meeting in Vladivostok, 23 August 2002
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur Oblast of the Far East Region, Russia, September 13, 2023
An aerial view shows destruction in the frontline city of Bakhmut, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region
Houses in Ukraine are seen ablaze following a Russian missile and drone attack
North Korea’s Western Region Artillery Unit’s ultra-large rocket salvo firing drill, at an unconfirmed location in North Korea
Russian T-72B3 tanks fire at Ukrainian fortified positions in Ukraine in undated footage
Western countries, South Korea and Kyiv have accused Pyongyang of sending weapons to Moscow for use in Ukraine, in violation of UN sanctions on North Korea.
But in March, Russia used its UN Security Council veto to effectively end UN monitoring of North Korean sanctions violations, a move seen as a victory for Pyongyang.Â
The US and South Korea say Russia has in return provided Pyongyang with technical help for its satellite programme – which Kim seems hell-bent on pursuing despite numerous failed launches – and sent aid to the food-strapped state.
Kim said last week that ties with Russia had ‘developed into an unbreakable relationship of comrades-in-arms’, underscoring the development of the relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang.
When the leaders saw each other in September, Putin said he saw ‘possibilities’ for military cooperation with North Korea, while Kim wished the Kremlin chief ‘victory’ in Ukraine.
They symbolically gifted each other rifles and the Kremlin promised that Putin would visit in turn.
A string of Russian officials, including Moscow’s spy chief, have since visited North Korea in preparation for the visit.
Putin himself has scaled down his trips abroad since launching the Ukraine offensive, but has paid some high-profile visits to Moscow’s few key allies such as China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Pyongyang meanwhile rarely hosts foreign guests due to its self-imposed isolation which since the Covid pandemic has grown ever more strict.
In 2000 – the last time Putin went to North Korea – the Russian President was a frequent traveller, regularly touring the United States and Europe.
FILE:Â Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prior to their talks at the Far Eastern Federal University campus on Russky island in the far-eastern Russian port of Vladivostok on April 25, 2019
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows the test fire of the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system
This picture taken on May 10, 2024 and released from North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 11, 2024 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the 240mm multiple rocket launcher system at an undisclosed location in North Korea
In this pool photo distributed by Sputnik agency, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (centre L) and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un (centre R) visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur region on September 13, 2023
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, arrives at the Vostochny Cosmodrome before a meeting of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13, 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, gestures as he talks to North Korean then leader Kim Jong Il during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, on Aug. 23, 2002
Both Russia and North Korea have denied that Pyongyang’s weapons are being used in Ukraine.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jon, accused Seoul and Washington last month of ‘misleading public opinion’ on the issue.
Ukraine, however, 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 saying they could be tests for weapons destined for use against Ukraine.
As the Kremlin and Pyongyang have publicly deepened their ties, Moscow’s relationship with South Korea – a Ukraine backer – has been hugely strained, as Seoul is a major weapons exporter to Kyiv.Â
South Korea last month announced separate sanctions on Russian and North Korean individuals and companies allegedly trading military supplies.
And President Yoon Suk Yeol last month promised to maintain his support for Kyiv in a phone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
For its part, Russia earlier this year detained a South Korean man, Baek Won-soon, on spy charges.Â
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.