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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday morning, with the two leaders set to discuss the supply of ammunition for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the provision of satellite technology to Pyongyang.
“Our friendship has deep roots, and now our country’s first priority is relations with the Russian Federation,” Kim told reporters at the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia’s east, where he arrived after a lengthy trip on his armored train for his first trip to Russia since 2019, according to Russian state-owned newswire Ria Novosti.
“Russia has now risen to defend its state sovereignty and defend its security to counter the hegemonic forces that oppose Russia,” the North Korean dictator added, echoing the Kremlin’s propaganda used to justify its aggression in Ukraine.
Kim’s visit comes as Russia is seeking to buy artillery ammunition from North Korea for its invasion of Ukraine, where Russia is estimated to have used between 10 and 11 million rounds over the past 18 months in its grinding full-scale invasion, a Western official told Reuters last week.
Military analysts say a potential arms deal between Moscow and Pyongyang could help Russia replenish its depleted stocks, but is unlikely to change the tide of the war.
The summit kicked off just hours after Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles to the country’s east, with both falling outside of Japanese waters.
Asked whether military cooperation was on the agenda, Putin said: “We’ll talk about all the issues slowly. There is time.”
The Russian president, who is accompanied by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the negotiations, added that Russia would help North Korea build space satellites.
“That’s why we came here. The leader of [North Korea] shows great interest in rocket technology, they are trying to develop space,” Putin said.
Kim has made the development of spy satellites — an important military asset — a priority for his highly militarized country. So far, it has made two attempts to launch a satellite, both of which failed.
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