The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has congratulated North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Pyongyang regime, and advocates closer cooperation “on all fronts”, as announced this Saturday by the Kremlin.
“I am convinced that thanks to our joint efforts we will continue to strengthen (…) bilateral ties on all fronts,” Putin said in a congratulatory message to Kim, quoted by the Kremlin.
“This is fully in the interest of our people” and contributes to ensuring “security and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia,” he says.
“Three quarters of a century ago, the Soviet Union was the first to recognize the new sovereign State that emerged on Korean soil,” Putin recalled, highlighting that “since then, relations between our countries have been based on the principles of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual respect.”
“I sincerely wish you robust health and success, and I wish all North Korean citizens peace and prosperity,” concludes the Russian leader.
The letter is written by Putin when the Kremlin refuses to confirm a possible meeting between Putin and Kim in the city of Vladivostok, coinciding with the Eastern Economic Forum that that Russian city hosts next week.
The New York Times had previously published that this potential summit would be aimed, among other issues, at sealing an exchange of weapons and aerospace and military technology in the midst of the Russian war in Ukraine.
According to the American newspaper, Putin would like North Korea to sell artillery and anti-tank missiles to Russia, while Pyongyang would be seeking advanced technology for the manufacture of satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, as well as food aid.
The last time the head of the Kremlin and the North Korean leader met was in April 2019, also in Vladivostok.
North Korea is one of the few countries in the world that have recognized Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula in 2014 and that of four other regions in eastern and southern Ukraine in September 2022.