Russia's Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea today, vows to resist sanctions on Kim Jon Un

President Vladimir Putin has promised to “resolutely oppose” Western interests and combat sanctions placed on Russia and North Korea in a statement made in North Korean media right before his expected arrival in Pyongyang to meet Kim Jong Un, news agency PTI reported.

Vladimir Putin is expected to arrive in Pyongyang for a two-day summit on Tuesday, June 18, marking his first visit to North Korea in 24 years.

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On June 19, Putin and Kim Jong Un will have bilateral negotiations surrounding “the economy, energy, transport, agriculture, inter-regional relations, security issues and cooperation in the international realm”, told Yuri Ushakov, a Kremlin aide, to TASS news agency.

Before his visit, Putin published an opinion piece through the North Korean state-owned newspaper Rodong Sinmun that thanked Kim Jong Un for his support in the Russia-Ukraine war and promised to work together against Western interests that seek to hinder a “multi-polarised world order.”

The strategic friendship between the two countries has increased since September 2023, when Kim Jong Un visited Russia. The South Korean government has alleged that Pyongyang is shipping arms to Moscow for use in Ukraine and is receiving Russian satellite know-how.

The Pentagon in the US has also stated that debris analysis shows Russia is using North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that North Korea had supplied "dozens of ballistic missiles and over 11,000 containers of munitions to Russia" in Ukraine. However, these charges are denied by Russia and North Korea, news agency AP reported.

John Kirby, a US National Security Council spokesperson, said the growing relationship between the two countries is worrying, “not just because of the impacts it's going to have on the Ukrainian people, because we know North Korean ballistic missiles are still being used to hit Ukrainian targets, but because there could be some reciprocity here that could affect security on the Korean Peninsula”.

Currently, North Korea is facing UN sanctions due to their banned nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and Moscow due to the Ukraine invasion. In Putin's statement to North Korean media, he made it clear that the two countries will jointly oppose sanctions against them as they are “unilateral and illegal restrictive measures.”

Apart from military and economic exchanges, the two leaders also plan to discuss cooperation regarding tourism, culture and education. The Russian Minister of Natural Resources stated that Moscow and Pyongyang are also planning to have a direct air service due to increasing traffic between them, according to TASS news agency.

After his visit to Pyongyang, Putin plans to visit Vietnam as well for a two-day discussion on trade with the country, a move that the US has criticised for endorsing Russia amidst its conflict with Ukraine.