North Korea’s Kim Jong Un May Meet Putin in Russia for Arms Negotiations, US Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attend a reception following their talks at the Far Eastern Federal University campus on Russky island in the far-eastern Russian port of Vladivostok on April 25, 2019. Alexey Nikolsky/ Sputnik/ AFP via Getty Images

Kim Jong Un, the top leader of communist North Korea, expects to continue the discussion about a potential arms deal with the Kremlin, which may include a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Russia, according to intelligence obtained by the United States.

Arms negotiations between North Korea and Russia “are actively advancing,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu traveled to North Korea last month and sought to “convince Pyongyang to sell artillery ammunition to Russia,” Ms. Watson noted.

“We have information that Kim Jong-Un expects these discussions to continue, to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” she said, without specifying when such a meeting would take place.

The New York Times, citing unnamed U.S. and allied officials, reported that Mr. Kim may meet Mr. Putin as early as next week.

The Kremlin refused to comment on the possible meeting between the two leaders, with its spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters on Tuesday, “There’s nothing to say.”

Shoigu said they’re closely monitoring any in-person exchange between North Korea and Russia. “Arms trade and related cooperation with North Korea is a violation of Security Council resolutions,” South Korea’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said at Tuesday’s briefing, according to translation.

Ms. Watson said the United States urges North Korea to “cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia.”

Secret Negotiations for Weapons

Ms. Watson’s comments came after the White House said intelligence indicated that Moscow is seeking “significant quantities and multiple types of munitions” and “raw materials” for its military-industrial base, as well as “electronic components” for use in military systems.

“[North Korea] delivered infantry rockets and missiles into Russia for use by Wagner,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Aug. 30. “Since then, Russia has been actively seeking to acquire additional munitions from [North Korea].

Following the Russian defense chief’s Pyongyang trip, Mr. Putin and Mr. Kim have traded letters “pledging to increase their bilateral cooperation,” Mr. Kirby noted.

Intelligence obtained by Washington suggested Pyongyang hosted another visiting delegation of Russian officials, in which the two sides continued the discussions about possible arms deals, according to Mr. Kirby.

“We’re going to keep watching it closely through a variety of means of intelligence,” he said.

“We will continue to identify, expose, and counter Russian attempts to acquire military equipment from [North Korea] or, frankly, any other state that is prepared to support its war in Ukraine.”

Deepened Defense Cooperations

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied previous U.S. allegations that North Korea had provided Russia with arms, though the two countries are promising to boost defense cooperation.

Mr. Shoigu, who visited Pyongyang in July to attend weapons displays that included North Korea’s banned ballistic missiles, said on Monday the two countries are discussing the possibility of joint military exercises.

According to South Korea’s spy agency, Mr. Shoigu may have proposed that Mr. Kim join a trilateral military drills with China.

On Saturday, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora, told Russia’s state news agency TASS that he was not aware of any plans for North Korea to participate in trilateral military drills with China and Russia but that, in his opinion, it would be “appropriate” in light of U.S.-led exercises in the region.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li Hongzhong and Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend a military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 27, 2023. KCNA via Reuters

The United States recently imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia.

Companies in China, some of them state-owned, are suspected of selling weapons and other military equipment to Russia throughout the war, although the White House hasn’t acknowledged if it has evidence that these actions were coordinated by authorities in Beijing.

Iran has also provided Russia with thousands of suicide drones for use in Ukraine. Tehran also signed a deal with Moscow in May to provide more of the drones and munitions in exchange for fighter jets, helicopters, and radar systems.

Emel Akan, Andrew Thornebrooke, and Reuters contributed to this report.