Vladimir Putin visits North Korea first time in 24 years

Vladimir Putin visits North Korea first time in 24 years
Vladimir Putin visits North Korea first time in 24 years

 

All eyes are on Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will be visiting North Korea for the first time in 24 years.

Before leaving for a summit with North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the country for supporting his actions in Ukraine and promised "close cooperation" to overcome Western sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly arrived in North Korea today (June 18) for his first official visit to the East Asian country in 24 years.

The visit comes after North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un extended an invitation to Putin in September 2023. Putin last visited Pyongyang in July 2000, and the schedule highlights the burgeoning cooperation with Russia, also a nuclear power, since the invasion of Ukraine.

Kim has previously visited Russia by train twice. One in 2019 and again in 2023, where the duo were photographed toasting each other over Russian wine.

Putin will visit Vietnam on June 19-20 after concluding his North Korean visit, as per the Kremlin. In an earlier repot, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov indicated the two countries may pursue a partnership agreement that would encompass security issues.

Ushakov said the deal would not be directed against any other country, but would “outline prospects for further cooperation, and will be signed taking into account what has happened between our countries in recent years — in the field of international politics, in the field of economics ... including, of course, taking into account security issues.”

In an op-ed piece in North Korean state media hours before he landed, Putin said Russia and North Korea would continue to “resolutely oppose” what he described as Western ambitions “to hinder the establishment of a multipolarized world order based on mutual respect for justice.”

Putin also said Russia and North Korea will develop trade and payment systems “that are not controlled by the West” and jointly oppose sanctions against the countries, which he described as “unilateral and illegal restrictive measures.”

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June 18, 2024 at 03:24PM
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June 18, 2024 at 04:13PM