Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for support in his war against Ukraine and vowed to work with the reclusive Communist state against US-led sanctions
Putin’s rare 2-day visit to Pyongyang on Tuesday for a summit with the North Korean leader is his first trip to the communist nation in 24 years. Kim has not hosted another world leader in his isolated country since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The trip comes days after North Korean soldiers breached the heavily fortified demilitarized zone, the border between North Korea and South Korea, for the second time this month, prompting South Korean soldiers to retaliate with warning shots.
In remarks published in an op-ed by North Korean state media, Putin expressed appreciation for North Korea’s support of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Russia and North Korea will continue to “resolutely oppose” Western attempts to “hinder the establishment of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect of sovereignty, considering each other’s interests,” Putin wrote.
The Russian president also announced his country will join North Korea in developing trade systems “that are not controlled by the West.”
The Russian leader also commended Kim for defying UN Security Council sanctions.
Pyongyang had defended its interests “very effectively, despite the US economic pressure, provocation, blackmail and military threats that have lasted for decades,” Putin wrote. “We will develop alternative mechanisms of trade and mutual settlements that are not controlled by the West, and jointly resist illegitimate unilateral restrictions. And at the same time, we will build an architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.”
As Putin arrived in Pyongyang, “the streets were decorated with Putin’s portraits and Russian flags,” Associated Press reports. “A banner hung on a building said: ‘We warmly welcome the President of the Russian Federation.’”
Putin first met Kim Jong Un in September when Jong Un visited Russia.
Last week, the Biden administration and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement, including a deal on a multibillion-dollar loan to Kyviv defend against Russian invasion, and sanctions to impede Russia’s ability to continue its war in Ukraine.
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