North Korea’s Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia for Putin talks

Russian state media reported on Tuesday that Kim’s armoured train had crossed into Russia, as Putin attends a conference in the Far East

Kim is reportedly in search of satellite technology, submarines and food aid, while experts suggest Russia’s president wants weapons from North Korea

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North Korean officials bow to Kim Jong-un before he departs by train on Sunday for his first trip outside his country since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: KCNA via KNS / AFP

Published: 7:03am, 12 Sep 2023Updated: 2:33pm, 12 Sep 2023

A train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Russia on Tuesday ahead of a meeting with President Vladimir Putin that the United States has warned could see an arms deal to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Making a rare trip outside North Korea and his first since the pandemic, an unsmiling Kim waved from the doorway of his heavily armoured private train as it departed Pyongyang on Sunday evening, according to images published by North Korean state media.

Kim will meet Putin at an unspecified location in Russia’s Far East region later this week, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

A green train with yellow trimmings, resembling the one used by Kim, is seen near Khasan, about 127km (79 miles) south of Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East on Tuesday. Photo: Telegram/@primamedia via AP

Putin is currently attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Far East city closest to the North Korean border, though there has been no indication that the internationally isolated pair would hold their talks there.

Experts say Moscow is likely to seek artillery shells and anti-tank missiles from North Korea, which wants advanced satellite and nuclear-powered submarine technology in return.

The White House warned last week that North Korea would “pay a price” if it supplies Russia with weaponry for the conflict in Ukraine.

Defying the warnings, Kim left North Korea for Russia on Sunday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia for Putin talks

Russian state media reported on Tuesday that Kim’s armoured train had crossed into Russia, as Putin attends a conference in the Far East Kim is reportedly in search of satellite technology, submarines and food aid, while experts suggest Russia’s president wants weapons from North Korea

Russian state media reported on Tuesday that Kim’s armoured train had crossed into Russia, as Putin attends a conference in the Far East

Kim is reportedly in search of satellite technology, submarines and food aid, while experts suggest Russia’s president wants weapons from North Korea