Vladimir Putin has said Russia is considering and discussing some military cooperation with North Korea, following a summit at which that country\u2019s leader Kim Jong Un appeared to endorse Moscow\u2019s war on Ukraine. <\/p>\n
The leaders met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia\u2019s far east, as both countries face international isolation over Moscow\u2019s invasion of Ukraine and Pyongyang\u2019s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program. <\/p>\n
The meeting came after US officials warned that Russia and North Korea are \u201cactively advancing\u201d in a potential arms deal that could see Pyongyang provide weapons for Moscow to use in its faltering Ukraine war in exchange for sanctioned ballistic missile technology. <\/p>\n
Putin was asked if he discussed military-technical cooperation with Kim during the leaders\u2019 meeting. In his response, Putin acknowledged the certain restrictions in place, which Moscow fully complies with, but admitted there are areas open for discussion and consideration, suggesting the presence of potential prospects for cooperation. <\/p>\n
\u201cWell, there are certain restrictions, and Russia complies with all these restrictions,\u201d Putin told state-owned Russia 1. \u201cBut there are things that we can of course talk about, discuss, think about it. And here too there are prospects,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Kim said before a toast at a state dinner with Putin that he is \u201ccertain that the Russian people and its military will emerge victorious in the fight to punish the evil forces that ambitiously pursues hegemony and expansion.\u201d <\/p>\n
Without naming Ukraine, Kim said the \u201cRussian military and its people will inherit the shining tradition of victory\u201d and demonstrate their reputation on the frontline of \u201cmilitary operation,\u201d the euphemistic phrasing Moscow uses to describe its illegal invasion of Ukraine. <\/p>\n
\u201cI will always be standing with Russia,\u201d Kim said, praising Moscow for having \u201cstood up against the hegemonic forces\u201d to defend its sovereignty and security, a veiled reference to the United States and the West. <\/p>\n
In return, Putin signaled a willingness to assist North Korea in developing its space and satellite program. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe leader of North Korea shows great interest in space, in rocketry, and they are trying to develop space. We\u2019ll show our new objects,\u201d Putin said. \u201cWe\u2019ll talk about all the issues without haste, there is time.\u201d <\/p>\n
Video released by the Kremlin Wednesday showed the two leaders shaking hands before touring the space center and adjoining rocket complex, where launch vehicles are assembled and tested, according to Russian state media. <\/p>\n
North Korea has made space technology a priority \u2013 but has some ways to go, having tried and failed twice this year to launch a spy satellite into orbit. <\/p>\n
Kim has also stressed the role of military satellites as a means to protect national safety and territorial stability and has spoken of their strategic value when deploying military force preemptively, North Korean state media reported in April. <\/p>\n
Providing this technology to North Korea would be in violation of international sanctions, aimed at hampering Pyongyang\u2019s ability to build a fully functioning nuclear weapons and ballistic missile force. <\/p>\n
The talks between the two leaders, which lasted a total of five hours, were \u201cvery substantive,\u201d Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, according to RIA. Peskov claimed North Korea \u201cshows huge interest in developing bilateral ties with Russia.\u201d <\/p>\n
Putin also described to Russia 1 the initial \u201ccandid exchange of views\u201d as \u201chighly productive.\u201d <\/p>\n
Responding to the summit, US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia\u2019s engagement with North Korea was a mark of its desperation. <\/p>\n
During the tour, the two leaders inspected the complex where Russia plans to launch its next generation of spacecraft. <\/p>\n
The facilities were built to receive launch vehicles, conduct pre-launch preparations, launches, and post-launch operations, state news agency TASS reported. <\/p>\n
Analysts say the location of Wednesday\u2019s summit at the space center was significant. <\/p>\n
Moscow is in need of fresh supplies of ammunition and shells after more than 18 months of war in Ukraine has left its military battered, while North Korea, which has faced years of international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program, is short of everything from hard cash and food to missile technology. <\/p>\n
North Korea has also signaled the meeting would deepen ties between the two countries. <\/p>\n
Kim arrived in Russia on Tuesday aboard his heavily-armored private train accompanied by party and military leaders, according to photos shared by North Korean state media. <\/p>\n
During a stop at the border town Khasan Tuesday, where Kim was welcomed by Russian officials, the North Korean leader said his trip to Russia was a \u201cclear manifestation\u201d of Pyongyang \u201cprioritizing the strategic importance\u201d of Moscow-Pyongyang relations, state media reported. <\/p>\n
Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton warned Tuesday that the meeting between Putin and Kim is \u201cquite significant,\u201d and \u201cgoes well beyond a potential arms deal.\u201d <\/p>\n
After the talks, Kremlin spokesperson Peskov said \u201cNorth Korea is our close neighbor,\u201d according to state media. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd despite any comments from the outside, we will build relationships with our neighbors in a way that is beneficial to us and our neighbors,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Among Kim\u2019s delegation are his second-in-command of the military, Ri Pyong Chol, a target of US and UN sanctions for his role in leading the country\u2019s ballistic missile programs as the former head of Department of the Munitions Industry, photos from KCNA show. His sister and high-level official Kim Yo Jong was also seen standing alongside her brother while he signed a guest book. <\/p>\n
Accompanying Putin was Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who visited Pyongyang in July. Putin told reporters Wednesday that Shoigu \u201cwas well received\u201d in North Korea and \u201cwe have a lot of questions.\u201d <\/p>\n
Hours before the summit, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea\u2019s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. <\/p>\n
The two ballistic missiles fired by North Korea each traveled about 650 kilometers (400 miles) before falling into the sea, it added. <\/p>\n
US and South Korean intelligence authorities were analyzing further details of the launch, said the JCS which called it \u201ca significant provocative act\u201d that threatens peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula as well as the international community.\u201d <\/p>\n
Analysts say it\u2019s unusual for Pyongyang to conduct a launch while Kim is out of the country. <\/p>\n
North Korea may be intending \u201cto show that the military maintains readiness with uninterrupted command and control,\u201d Easley, the professor of international studies, said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also remarkable that North Korea fires missiles subject to UN sanctions while Kim is in Russia to meet with the leader of a permanent member of the Security Council,\u201d Easley added. <\/p>\n\n
Vladimir Putin has said Russia is considering and discussing some military cooperation with North Korea, following a summit at which that country\u2019s leader Kim Jong Un appeared to endorse Moscow\u2019s war on Ukraine. The leaders met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia\u2019s far east, as both countries face international isolation over Moscow\u2019s invasion of Ukraine <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":8660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8659","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shareperformanceinsight.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}