Kim had previously made just seven trips abroad in his 12 years in power, all in 20. It was the first such launch by the North while Kim was abroad, analysts said, demonstrating an increased level of delegation and more refined control systems for the country's nuclear and missile programmes. The choice to meet at Vostochny Cosmodrome - a symbol of Russia's ambitions as a space power - was notable, as North Korea has twice failed to launch reconnaissance satellites in the past four months.Īfter showing Kim around a building where the Angara, Russia's new 42.7-metre space launch rocket, is assembled, Putin said Kim had shown a "great interest in rocket engineering" during the visit.Īhead of his meeting with Putin, Kim signed the visitor book in Korean: "The glory to Russia, which gave birth to the first space conquerors, will be immortal." BALLISTIC MISSILESĪs Kim was making his way through the forests of Russia by train, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from an area near the capital, Pyongyang, into the sea off its east coast. Security Council for the first time since it started punishing Pyongyang in 2006.Īsked about military cooperation, Putin said Russia complied with international rules but that there were opportunities to explore. Russia has joined China in opposing new sanctions on North Korea, blocking a U.S.-led push and publicly splitting the U.N. "It was already a month and a half ago that everything was agreed and shipments began from North Korea," he said without giving further details. Putin and Kim called each other "comrades" at lunch and Putin repeatedly reminded Kim that it was the Soviet Union that backed North Korea - and was first to recognise it just over 75 years to the day since it was established.Īmid the Ukraine war, which has become a grinding artillery war of attrition, the United States and Kyiv's other allies are watching to see if Kim's visit paves the way for a supply of artillery shells to Russia.īritain urged North Korea to end arms talks with Russia and said Kim's visit showed how isolated Moscow has become on the world stage.īut the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, told Ukraine's NV Radio that North Korea had already been supplying Russia with weapons for more than a month. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov Acquire Licensing Rights 'COMRADES'
Russia's President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during a meeting at the Vostochny ?osmodrome in the far eastern Amur region, Russia, September 13.
Putin accepted an invition from Kim to visit North Korea in the future, the North's state news agency KCNA reported. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit Pyongyang for more talks next month, the Kremlin said. Putin said Kim now planned to visit military and civilian aviation factories in the Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur and to inspect Russia's Pacific fleet in Vladivostok. "Any form of cooperation of any country with North Korea must respect the sanctions regime that was imposed by the Security Council," Guterres told reporters, adding that it was "extremely relevant" in the case of Russia and North Korea.įor Russia, the summit was an opportunity to needle the United States, the big power supporter of Ukraine, though it was unclear just how far Putin was prepared to go in fulfilling any North Korean wish lists for technology. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres signalled Moscow had to tread carefully. He called it "troubling" that Russia would discuss cooperation with North Korea on programs that potentially would violate U.N. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a briefing. "We have taken a number of actions already to sanction entities that brokered arms sales between North Korea and Russia, and we won't hesitate to impose additional sanctions if appropriate," U.S.
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