Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a two-day state visit to North Korea starting Tuesday, the two countries said, with Putin expected to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to discuss military and other cooperation.
Putin's visit to North Korea would be his first since July 2000, when the Asian country was led by Kim's late father, Kim Jong Il. The two countries have been deepening their ties since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which started in February 2022, with Pyongyang being accused of providing arms to Moscow.
In September last year, Putin met Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome space launch center in the Russian Far East. At the time, Kim invited Putin to visit his country, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Russia is suspected of providing assistance and guidance to North Korea in its bid to launch military spy satellites.
Since last year, the two countries have hosted mutual visits by high-ranking officials. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and then Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang in 2023, while North Korean top diplomat Choe Son Hui met with Putin in January.
