The Feast of Sickle and Hammer in the Kremlin

Kim Jong Un’s Meeting with Putin in Russia

Feast of Sickle and Hammer in the Kremlin: According to Iran Gate, Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, is traveling to Russia to discuss military and food aid with Putin. The North Korean leader will meet the Russian president during the Eastern Economic Forum, which will be held in Vladivostok from September 10 to 13.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un intends to travel to Russia to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and directly discuss the possibility of Moscow supplying more weapons for the war in Ukraine and other forms of military cooperation. This news, previously reported by The New York Times, was confirmed by the National Security Council.

Adrienne Watson, the spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, said, ‘As we have publicly warned, arms negotiations between Russia and North Korea are actively progressing. We have information that Kim Jong Un expects these talks to continue, including diplomatic engagement at the leadership level in Russia.’

Adrienne Watson, the National Security Council spokesperson, further added, ‘We urge the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea, to cease arms negotiations with Russia and respect Pyongyang’s public commitments not to supply or sell weapons to Russia.’

For his rare departure from the country, Kim may travel from Pyongyang to Vladivostok by an armored train, where he will meet the Russian president on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University, the venue for the Eastern Economic Forum scheduled from September 10 to 13.

The North Korean leader may also visit Pier 33, where the ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet dock, and even travel to Moscow. It is anticipated that Kim will make a brief stop at Vostochny Cosmodrome, the meeting place of Putin and Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus and Kim’s partner, in April 2022.

Putin wants Kim Jong Un to agree to send artillery and anti-tank missiles to Russia, while Pyongyang requests advanced technology from the Kremlin for satellites and nuclear submarines. The North Korean leader may also request food aid for his country, which is increasingly resource-scarce due to prolonged isolation from the COVID pandemic and international sanctions.

The White House warned on Wednesday about the exchange of letters between the leaders of the two countries discussing a potential arms deal, citing classified information. John F. Kirby, the U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson, said that high-level negotiations on military cooperation between the two countries are actively progressing.

At the end of August, a delegation of about 20 North Korean officials traveled to Russia to plan the meeting between the two leaders. It is likely that the groundwork for this meeting was laid by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu during his visit to North Korea in July, marking the 70th anniversary of the victory over South Korean and U.S. forces in the Korean War.

Photos released by North Korea’s state agency KCNA show Kim and Shoigu at an exhibition of military weapons and equipment, including ballistic missiles banned by the United Nations. During this meeting, Kim presented his demands for further military cooperation to Shoigu and invited Putin to visit North Korea. The Russian Defense Minister then reciprocated with an invitation for Kim to visit Russia.

According to Seoul’s information, Moscow has offered North Korea through Shoigu to conduct joint naval maneuvers and exercises with China’s participation. Shoigu’s visit to North Korea was the first by a Russian defense minister since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

However, in May, Kim wrote a letter to Putin on the occasion of Russia’s National Day. In this letter, he pledged to hold the Russian leader’s hand and promised that the Russian people would have the full support and solidarity of North Korea in achieving all their rights.

Jean H. Lee, a researcher at the Wilson Center, said that strengthening the Russia-North Korea alliance is happening at a time that is suitable for both countries, with very few allies and a potential common adversary, the United States.

A Chinese delegation led by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, also recently visited North Korea. According to North Korean state media, a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping was delivered to Kim. Letter exchange is one of the methods the North Korean leader often uses to establish relations with the leaders of allied or potential partner countries.

Kim first visited Russia in 2019 when he arrived in Vladivostok with his green armored train to meet Putin. As the train slowly pulled into the station, the North Korean leader’s attendants, wearing white gloves, began running frantically to clean any handle or surface he might touch.

The United States first warned a year ago about the possibility of cooperation between North Korea and Russia. In subsequent revelations, John F. Kirby claimed that North Korea had sent munitions to Russia through the Middle East and North Africa. The lack of support from North Korea, Iran, and China for Russia is a key element of the Biden administration’s strategy to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression.

However, it seems that the Kremlin cannot confirm that a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, predicted by American media and also confirmed by the White House, will take place by the end of the month. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesperson, said during a press conference with reporters, ‘No, we cannot confirm it. We have nothing to say on this matter.’ However, the White House has confirmed the meeting between the two leaders of Russia and North Korea during the Eastern Economic Forum in September.

According to some political analysts, this potential meeting could pose a long-term international threat, not only due to the supply and delivery of munitions from North Korea to Russia but also because of North Korea’s military strengthening. Pyongyang could provide munitions to Russia in exchange for more advanced technology, especially satellites for developing nuclear submarines. Thus, we would have one of the world’s poorest countries, which already possesses nuclear bombs, aiming to produce nuclear submarines.

The White House: Russia seeks a weapon-for-food deal with North Korea.