Kim vows ‘full support’ for Russia on Ukraine
SEOUL — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un promised full support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine before beginning a one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the capital Pyongyang on Wednesday, in a bid to expand their economic and military cooperation and show a united front against the United States.
Speaking before the summit, Putin thanked Kim for his support in Ukraine and said the two countries would sign an agreement to boost their partnership, as both “fight against the imperialist hegemonistic policies of the US and its satellites against the Russian Federation.”
Putin’s visit comes amid growing concerns about an arms arrangement in which North Korea provides Russia with badly needed munitions to fuel Moscow’s war in Ukraine, in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile program.
Pyongyang is under heavy United Nations Security Council sanctions over its weapons program, while Moscow also faces sanctions by the US and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.
Putin hailed ties that date to the Soviet army fighting the Japanese military on the Korean Peninsula in the closing moments of World War II, and Moscow’s support for Pyongyang during the Korean War.
Kim said relations between Moscow and Pyongyang were now even closer than during Soviet times and called Putin’s visit an opportunity to solidify their “fiery friendship.”
Kim vowed his country’s “full support and solidarity to the Russian government, army and people in carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine to protect sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity.” It wasn’t immediately clear what that support might look like.
Kim has used similar language in the past, consistently saying North Korea supports what he describes as a just action to protect Russia’s interests and blaming the crisis on the US-led West’s “hegemonic policy.”
He also hailed Russia’s “important role and mission in preserving the strategic stability and balance in the world.”
Lavish ceremony
Before the talks, Kim welcomed Putin with a lavish ceremony in the city’s main square, where he introduced key members of the North Korean leadership, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui; top aide and ruling party secretary Jo Yong Won; and the leader’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong.
Huge crowds lined up on the streets to greet Putin’s motorcade, chanting “Welcome Putin” and waving flowers and North Korean and Russian flags.
Putin was accompanied by several top officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Denis Mantrurov, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said his foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.
US and South Korean officials accuse the North of providing Russia with artillery, missiles and other military equipment for use in Ukraine, possibly in return for key military technologies and aid. Both Pyongyang and Moscow deny accusations about the weapons transfers, which would violate multiple Security Council sanctions that Russia previously endorsed.
Along with China, Russia has provided political cover for Kim’s continuing efforts to advance his nuclear arsenal, repeatedly blocking US-led efforts to impose fresh UN sanctions on the North over its weapons tests.
In March, a Russian veto at the UN ended monitoring of UN sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, prompting Western accusations that Moscow is seeking to avoid scrutiny as it buys weapons from Pyongyang for use in Ukraine. US and South Korean officials have said they are discussing options for a new mechanism for monitoring the North.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Putin’s visit to North Korea illustrated how Russia tries, “in desperation, to develop and to strengthen relations with countries that can provide it with what it needs to continue the war of aggression that it started against Ukraine.”
“North Korea is providing significant munitions to Russia ... and other weapons for use in Ukraine. Iran has been providing weaponry, including drones, that have been used against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Blinken told reporters following a meeting with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday.