'Together in the fight against imperialism': how the meeting between Kim Jong-un and Putin went

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. To conduct negotiations with the leader of North Korea, the Russian president chose the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Amur region. Western media expected that the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un could raise the issue of supplying ammunition for the war in Ukraine. Although they did not discuss the issue in front of cameras, the DPRK leader expressed his support for Putin in the “sacred struggle” against “hegemonic forces.” Writes about this with the BBC.

Photo: IStock

The Kremlin strictly guarded the time and place of the meeting between Putin and Kim Jong-un, who crossed the Russian border on the eve of the meeting itself. It was only known that they would meet “one of these days” somewhere in the Far East.

Putin arrived in the Amur region from Vladivostok, where he participated in the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). Kim Jong-un arrived in his signature armored train.

Their meeting began around seven in the morning Moscow time. It is worth noting that four hours earlier there had been a missile attack on Sevastopol in the annexed Crimea, which Russian authorities admitted resulted in “damage to at least two warships.”

Putin did not discuss the incident in front of cameras and attributed the choice of the meeting location to Kim Jong Un's interest in missile programs. North Korea's missile tests have long been a source of concern for the United States and its Asian allies, although Putin has not addressed the issue.

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The meeting began in the installation and testing building of the cosmodrome, where the new Angara rocket is being assembled. Before entering the building, Putin explained to Kim Jong-un that Vostochny is a modern cosmodrome.

As the negotiations showed

The first launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome took place in 2016, and this project was accompanied by a number of corruption scandals.

During the visit of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un was interested in many aspects of the space program. He was presented with the launch pad for the Angara rocket and the launch complex for the Soyuz-2 launch vehicle. Kim asked questions about the characteristics of rocket fuel, the fate of spent rocket stages and the principles of propulsion of the launch vehicle. These questions were answered by the head of Roscosmos, Yuri Borisov, and the general director of the Center for Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure, Nikolai Nestechuk.

Negotiations began after the excursion, first in the format of delegations, and then in a narrow circle. In total they lasted about two hours. The alleged supply of North Korean ammunition and missiles to Russia to continue the war in Ukraine was not officially discussed in front of cameras.

However, Kim Jong Un has expressed clear support for the Russian invasion, emphasizing that Russia is "rising to defend its sovereignty and security" and he supports "all decisions of President Putin."

“I hope that we will always be together in the fight against imperialism and in building a sovereign state,” he said at the start of the talks.

Then there was lunch, during which dumplings with Kamchatka crab and grass carp fish soup were served. During lunch, Kim Jong Un raised a toast and again echoed Putin's rhetoric, noting the heroism of the Russian army and supporting Russia's actions in Ukraine.

“I am deeply convinced that the heroic Russian army and people will brilliantly inherit the tradition of victory, confidently demonstrate priceless virtues and honor on the fronts of the Northern Military District, in building a strong state,” said Kim Jong-un. (SVO or “special military operation” is what the Russian authorities call the war in Ukraine).

Putin also mentioned Japanese militarists and Soviet and Korean soldiers who fought together in 1945. He emphasized that Russia and North Korea act in the interests of peace and stability.

North Korean ammunition supplies were not discussed at the dinner, but Kim Jong Un expressed hope for "a great victory in the sacred struggle to punish the great evil that claims hegemony and feeds the expansionist illusion."

After lunch, Kim Jong-un left, but his stay in Russia continues. Putin said that the North Korean leader will visit factories in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and Vladivostok. This meeting was the second, the first took place in 2019.

The leaders of Russia and North Korea did not discuss the deployment of North Korean soldiers on the border with Ukraine, and statements about the risks of nuclear war were not a topic of discussion at the meeting.

What the media wrote and what experts say

Western publications were the first to announce the upcoming visit of the North Korean leader. The New York Times reported Kim Jong-un's intention to travel to Vladivostok for talks with Putin to discuss possible supplies of artillery shells and anti-tank missiles from North Korea.

There have been calls from the White House and the US State Department for North Korea not to provide arms assistance to Russia. The official representative of the US National Security Council, Adrienne Watson, emphasized that negotiations between Russia and the DPRK regarding arms supplies are actively developing, and Kim Jong-un expects the continuation of this dialogue, including high-level negotiations in Russia.

The Financial Times suggested that North Korea was ready to enter into an arms deal with Russia, including ammunition, multiple launch rocket systems and short-range ballistic missiles.

Expert opinions regarding possible supplies of weapons for the war in Ukraine are divided. Some believe that Putin and Kim Jong-un could agree on arms supplies from North Korea, while others doubt this and see the whole situation as an attempt to put pressure on the United States and South Korea.

“In terms of quantity, I have no doubt that North Korea, if Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang have the will, can supply quite a lot of shells. They have always had the military-industrial complex as a priority, and in a planned economy it can be developed at a fairly rapid pace. Quality issue. The Korean People’s Army, in fact, has not fought since 1953,” said Fyodor Tertitsky, a senior researcher at Kunming University (Seoul).

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He points to three little-known factors in Russia-North Korea relations. Firstly, the lack of practical trade relations between them, which raises questions about the nature of their interaction. Secondly, North Korea ignores the topic of the war in Ukraine at the public level. And thirdly, Russia's heavy dependence on China in relations with North Korea, which limits Moscow's actions.

Another expert expresses doubts about the supply of weapons from the DPRK to Russia and sees this as more of a political performance aimed at putting pressure on Washington and Seoul. In his opinion, North Korea is not able to pay for Russian military technologies, and most likely it will seek to resell them to third countries.

“This is a small political performance, the main audience of which is in Seoul and Washington,” Andrei Lankov, a teacher at Kunming University in Seoul, commented on the meeting between Putin and Kim Jong-un. “I would bet two to one that there will be no military supplies and that all these conversations are being conducted to put pressure on Washington and Seoul.”

Thus, Kim Jong-un’s visit and negotiations with Putin remain the object of attention of the world community, but their outcome and real consequences remain in question.

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