SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 鈥� Russian President met with North Korea鈥檚 foreign minister and thanked Pyongyang for supporting his war against Ukraine, in the latest high-level diplomacy between the countries, Russian state media reported.
The visit by North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui comes without an obvious occasion, such as a multilateral diplomatic event or state anniversary, and has raised speculation that she may be coordinating a possible visit to Russia by North Korean leader North Korean state media said Choe departed for Russia on Saturday at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister but has yet to comment on the purpose of her visit.
Yoon Min Ho, spokesperson for South Korea鈥檚 Unification Ministry, which handles affairs related to North Korea, said Monday that Seoul was closely monitoring the meetings but declined to assess whether Moscow and Pyongyang were discussing another summit between their leaders.
Russia鈥檚 Tass news agency said Putin during his meeting with Choe at the Kremlin on Sunday praised the countries鈥� bilateral relations and reiterated his 鈥済ratitude to the North Korean leadership and people鈥� for supporting his military operations against Ukraine. Choe told Putin that Kim remains committed to the 鈥渃omprehensive development鈥� of relations with Russia, Tass said.
Kim traveled to Russia鈥檚 Far East for summits with Putin in 2019 and 2023. Putin invited Kim to visit Russia again during their summit in Pyongyang in June 2024, where the leaders signed a pledging mutual aid if either country faces aggression.
Kim in recent years has made Russia the sending thousands of troops and huge supplies of weapons to support Putin鈥檚 war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for economic aid and technology transfers that some experts say are helping advance North Korea鈥檚 military capabilities.
Kim has also been seeking stronger ties with China, including hosting as he embraces the idea of a 鈥渘ew Cold War鈥� and projecting Pyongyang as part of a united front against Washington.
Choe鈥檚 visit to Moscow came shortly after North Korea and China exchanged high-level visits, with North Korean Cabinet premier, Pak Thae Song, Kim鈥檚 top economic official, meeting Xi in Beijing and Wang Huning, a member of the Chinese Communist Party鈥檚 powerful Politburo Standing Committee, visiting Kim in Pyongyang this month.
Kim has suspended all meaningful dialogue with the United States and South Korea since the collapse of his in 2019. He has used Russia鈥檚 war on Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate the advancement of his nuclear weapons and missile program, while demanding that Washington as a precondition for talks.
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