Putin’s meeting with Kim Jong Un. Washington threatens to impose new sanctions

On Wednesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on an official visit and met with Vladimir Putin.

The head of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, came to Russia at the official invitation of Vladimir Putin and held lengthy negotiations with Vladimir Putin, stating that the main interest of Pyongyang right now is strengthening relations with Russia.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov reported that the goal of the meeting between Putin and Kim Jong Un is to strengthen friendship between the countries, develop relations, and discuss other important issues.

However, Washington believes there are grounds to suspect that Putin and Kim Jong Un discussed military supplies, including that North Korea may provide Moscow with weapons, including artillery shells and long-range missiles, in exchange for food products and advanced technologies for creating reconnaissance ships, as Putin intends to use them in the war against Ukraine.

A representative of the U.S. State Department stated that the U.S. will “not hesitate” to impose sanctions against both Russia and North Korea if Pyongyang supplies weapons or ammunition to Moscow.

Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that the “full range of relations” between Russia and North Korea “implies both dialogue and cooperation in sensitive areas, such as military cooperation.”

Some experts consider the meeting between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin a kind of challenge thrown at NATO, and in particular, the U.S.

The head of the DPRK, who, unlike other heads of state, rarely travels abroad, is visiting Russia for the second time in the last five years. He previously visited Russia in 2019.

Also, unlike other heads of state, Kim Jong Un travels not by plane, but by a luxurious armored train equipped with modern technologies. However, the train itself is of Soviet manufacture.