Moscow has confirmed a planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Russian city of Vladivostok, according to a statement from the Kremlin on Monday.
The Kremlin said, on its official website, that Kim "will pay an official visit to Russia in the coming days" and will meet Putin "at the invitation" of the Russian leader.
The New York Times reported on the meeting last week, saying Kim plans to negotiate weapons supplies with Putin. Kim very rarely leaves North Korea and when he does, he travels by armored train.
On Monday, there were media reports that Kim had boarded his armored train in Pyongyang heading for the border, but this was not confirmed.
Moscow is concerned with securing supplies of weapons and ammunition for its war against Ukraine, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed officials from the U.S. and allied governments.
The newspaper said Putin is hoping for North Korean artillery shells and anti-tank weapons while Kim is said to be hoping for advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as food aid.
North Korea has been considered a possible supplier of artillery ammunition and missiles for some time because Pyongyang has specialized in modernizing Soviet weapons systems.
According to the New York Times report, the visit is to take place on the sidelines of an economic forum in Vladivostok, on the east coast of Russia, scheduled for Sept. 10-13. The Washington Post also reported on the planned meeting.
A harbinger of the Kim visit was the trip of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Pyongyang in August to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
During Shoigu's visit, agreements were reached on stronger military cooperation.
Kim has only been to Russia once, when he visited Vladivostok in April 2019 – also with his armored train. At the time, the talks with Putin focused on the North Korean nuclear program and the strengthening of economic cooperation. However, there were no concrete results.
