The Russian president is making a state visit to North Korea, at the end of which a strategic partnership could be signed.
It is a particularly scrutinized visit: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived this Tuesday in Yakutia, in the far east of Russia, an essential stopover before visiting North Korea for the first time in 24 years.
A visit which intends to strengthen ties with the Kim Jong Un regime, now essential support in the continuation of the Kremlin’s offensive in Ukraine.
According to the Russian leader, the two countries intend to cooperate closely to overcome sanctions imposed by the United States. Moscow and PyongYang would be in direct conflict with Washington, Russia over its war in Ukraine and North Korea over its nuclear program.
Vladimir Putin’s diplomatic advisor presented the Russian head of state’s trip as “a strong moment” for both countries. Yuri Ushakov even mentioned the signing of a “global strategic partnership agreement“. Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia nine months ago was, in any case, officially concluded without an agreement. But in March, Russia used its veto at the UN Security Council to ending monitoring of international sanctions violations targeting North Korea, a major gift to Pyongyang.
This alliance has raised concerns in the West, notably last September when the North Korean dictator traveled to the Russian Far East to meet Putin and visit several military sites.
The Russian president will then visit Vietnam, another partner of Russia from the Soviet era, on June 19 and 20.