The warning from Washington about what could be offered during a possible Kim-Putin meeting came after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang in July in an attempt to convince it to sell artillery ammunition to Moscow. Like his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, and his father, Kim Jong Il, it is said Kim prefers traveling in the upscale armored train, which has long been the subject of intrigue. KCNAĪs in 2019, the North Korea leader traveled to Russia Tuesday in his famed, characteristically green train that has by now become a symbol of the hermit nation’s isolation and secrecy. Kim Jong Un walks down a red carpet to a crowd of onlookers and officials before boarding his private train. Putin also met with China’s Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing on the sidelines of the forum and said relations between the two countries had reached an “unprecedented historical level,” according to Russian state media agencies. “Trade with countries of the Asia Pacific region will be developing even further.” “Russia’s trade with other countries in the region added 18.3 percent in only six months of this year,” he said. Putin was in Vladivostok Tuesday for the Eastern Economic Forum, where he gave an address touting Russia’s trade opportunities with countries in Asia Pacific. According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, the train believed to be carrying Kim appears to be moving toward a more northerly destination than the eastern port of Vladivostok, toward Khabarovsk province bordering China instead, citing multiple local sources in Vladivostok. Russia’s Far East region is a massive swath of territory that shares land borders with China, North Korea and Mongolia. The talks will also touch on “sensitive areas,” Peskov added, while a formal dinner is also planned in honor of Kim’s arrival. Peskov said bilateral relations between the nations will be a priority of the meeting, which will be a “full-blown visit, with talks between the two delegations.” “At this point we are not saying, in the Far East,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters according to Russian state media TASS, later adding a meeting between the two leaders would happen in “the next few days.” Neither country has specified when or where the visit would take place. A crowd of onlookers could be seen cheering in the background and waving flags. Previous images released by KCNA showed Kim walking down a red carpet at a Pyongyang station and boarding the green train. Ri is a target of US and UN sanctions for his role in leading the country’s ballistic missile programs as the former head of Department of the Munitions Industry. In one photo released by KCNA, Kim’s second-in-command of the military, Ri Pyong Chol, was seen onboard the train. North Korea’s top officials, including military leaders and the chief diplomat, are among Kim’s delegation, according to photos shared by North Korean state media KCNA. The North Korean leader departed the capital, Pyongyang, on Sunday afternoon accompanied by top party officials and members of the government and armed forces, North Korean news agency KCNA reported Tuesday. Kim Jong Un departs the North Korean capital Pyongyang by private train in this image provided by North Korean state media on September 10. South Korean Defense Ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyu also said Tuesday the ministry is closely monitoring whether North Korea and Russia will proceed with negotiations on an arms deal and technology transfer. The US government said last week that arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are “actively advancing,” and further talks could take place as part of Russia’s efforts to find new suppliers for weapons to use in its war against Ukraine. The meeting could lead to Pyongyang getting its hands on the sort of weapons two decades’ worth of United Nations sanctions have barred it from accessing, especially for its nuclear-capable ballistic missile program. Russia desperately requires 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. That meeting would be a significant development, analysts say, bringing together two leaders who are increasingly isolated on the world stage.
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