Kim Jong Un Plans Meeting with Vladimir Putin to Discuss Potential Arms Deal, CBS News Reports
Washington — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month to discuss potentially providing Moscow with weapons to support its ongoing war in Ukraine, a U.S. official told CBS News.
According to the report, the meeting between Kim and Putin would take place in Russia, although the exact location has not been disclosed. The New York Times was the first to report on Kim’s travel plans.
The possible meeting between the two leaders comes after the White House announced that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing.” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated that Russia’s defense minister recently visited North Korea to persuade Pyongyang to provide artillery ammunition, and after the visit, Putin and Kim exchanged letters pledging to increase bilateral cooperation.
Kirby revealed that intelligence obtained by the U.S. indicates that a group of Russian officials traveled to Pyongyang for further discussions about a potential arms deal following Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s visit to North Korea.
“We urge the DPRK to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” Kirby stated. He warned that the U.S. will take direct action, including imposing sanctions, against individuals and entities facilitating the supply of weapons between the two countries.
Kirby also emphasized that any weapons agreement between Russia and North Korea would violate numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions. He warned that the U.S. will continue to identify, expose, and counter Russian attempts to acquire military equipment from North Korea or any other state supporting the war in Ukraine.
Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, stated that Kim expects the discussions to continue, including leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia.
Both Russia and China sent high-level delegations to North Korea in July, marking the first visits by top foreign officials since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. During the trip, Kim gave Shoigu a guided tour of North Korea’s weapons and missiles at an arms exhibition, as shown in photos shared by North Korean media.
This warning about Pyongyang potentially providing weapons to Russia comes nearly a year after U.S. officials warned that the Russian Ministry of Defense was purchasing rockets and artillery shells from North Korea for the war in Ukraine. It was cited as a newly downgraded U.S. intelligence finding. Russia has also used Iranian-made drones to target Ukrainian towns.
The meeting between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin will be closely monitored by the international community, given its potential implications for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.