North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday arrived in Russia’s far eastern port of Vladivostok, where he was shown nuclear-capable bombers as he continued a trip that has sparked Western concerns about an arms alliance that could fuel Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine.
Kim’s to visit to Russia, highlighted by a summit with Putin on Wednesday, comes amid momentum in military cooperation between the countries in which North Korea could potentially seek Russian technologies to advance Kim’s military nuclear program in exchange for providing Russia with badly needed munitions.
Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of Russia’s Primorsky region, announced Kim’s arrival in the city of Artyom, about 40 kilometers northeast of Vladivostok. Kozhemyako released a video showing Kim’s arrival on a messaging app channel that showed Kim smiling as he got off his green-and-yellow train and was greeted by children presenting flowers.
Kim’s plans to see Russian naval ships in Vladivostok could be another hint at what he wants from Russia, possibly in exchange for supplying munitions to refill Putin’s declining reserves as his invasion of Ukraine becomes a drawn-out war of attrition. During a luncheon hosted by Russian officials, Kim’s top military officer, army Marshal Ri Pyong Chol, said his leader’s visit to the facility “added another glorious page” to the relations between the countries, KCNA said. Kim’s delegation also includes the top commanders of North Korea’s air force and navy.
Kim has announced goals to acquire nuclear-propelled submarines, which can quietly travel long distances and approach enemy shores to deliver strikes, a key asset in his efforts to build a viable nuclear arsenal that could threaten the United States. Analysts say such capacities would be unfeasible for the North without external assistance.