Russian President Putin Meets With North Korean Foreign Minister In Latest High-level Diplomacy

Russian President Vladimir Putin met pinch North Korea’s overseas curate and thanked Pyongyang for supporting his warfare against Ukraine, successful nan latest high-level diplomacy betwixt nan countries, Russian authorities media reported.

The sojourn by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui comes without an evident occasion, specified arsenic a multilateral negotiated arena aliases authorities anniversary, and has raised speculation that she whitethorn beryllium coordinating a imaginable sojourn to Russia by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korean authorities media said Choe departed for Russia connected Saturday astatine nan invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov but has not commented connected nan anticipation of different gathering betwixt Kim and Putin.

Choe and Lavrov held abstracted talks connected Monday, pinch Russia expressing afloat support for North Korea’s efforts to protect its sovereignty and information interests and North Korea reaffirming its backing for Russia’s warfare against Ukraine, nan North’s charismatic Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday.

Yoon Min Ho, spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles affairs related to North Korea, said Seoul was intimately monitoring nan meetings but declined to measure whether Moscow and Pyongyang were discussing different acme betwixt their leaders.

Russia’s Tass news agency said Putin during his gathering pinch Choe astatine nan Kremlin connected Sunday praised nan countries’ bilateral relations and reiterated his “gratitude to nan North Korean activity and people” for supporting his subject operations against Ukraine. Choe told Putin that Kim remains committed to nan “comprehensive development” of relations pinch Russia, Tass said.

Kim traveled to Russia’s Far East for summits pinch Putin successful 2019 and 2023. Putin invited Kim to sojourn Russia again during their acme successful Pyongyang successful June 2024, wherever nan leaders signed a strategical business statement pledging communal assistance if either state faces aggression.

Kim successful caller years has made Russia nan privilege of his overseas policy, sending thousands of troops and immense supplies of weapons to support Putin’s warfare successful Ukraine, perchance successful speech for economical assistance and exertion transfers that immoderate experts opportunity are helping beforehand North Korea’s subject capabilities.

Kim has besides been seeking stronger ties pinch China, including hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping for a June acme successful Pyongyang, arsenic he embraces nan thought of a “new Cold War” and projecting Pyongyang arsenic portion of a agreed beforehand against Washington.

Choe’s sojourn to Moscow came soon aft North Korea and China exchanged high-level visits, pinch North Korean Cabinet premier, Pak Thae Song, Kim’s apical economical official, gathering Xi successful Beijing and Wang Huning, a personnel of nan Chinese Communist Party’s powerful Politburo Standing Committee, visiting Kim successful Pyongyang this month.

Kim has suspended each meaningful speech pinch nan United States and South Korea since nan illness of his atomic diplomacy pinch U.S. President Donald Trump successful 2019. He has utilized Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine arsenic a distraction to accelerate nan advancement of his atomic weapons and rocket program, while demanding that Washington wantonness its calls for North Korea’s atomic disarmament arsenic a precondition for talks.