Somali Magazine 5 September 2023-According to a source, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month to discuss potentially providing Moscow with weapons to bolster its war in Ukraine.
Kim would most likely travel by armoured train from Pyongyang to Vladivostok on Russia’s east coast, according to The New York Times, citing US and ally sources.
“Both leaders would be on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok to attend the Eastern Economic Forum, which is scheduled to run from Sept. 10 to 13,” the authorities said.
The possible visit comes only days after the White House stated that Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing” clandestine weapons talks.
According to White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, US intelligence indicates that Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu requested artillery ammunition from North Korea during his July visit, as Russia seeks “significant quantities and multiple types of munitions” for use in Ukraine.
Kirby stated that the high-level talks “may continue in the coming months.”
The White House said in December that Russia’s Wagner private military organisation had received a weapons shipment from North Korea, and in March that Russia was attempting to mediate a food-for-guns deal with Pyongyang.