PYONGYANG, June 19, 2024 (REPORTLINE) - Russian President Vladimir Putin was warmly welcomed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un upon arriving in Pyongyang on Wednesday, marking Putin's first visit to the North Korean capital in over two decades, state media reported.
Putin's early morning arrival kick-started a summit that could further cement the ties between the two nations who both face deep international isolation and sanctions.
According to North Korea's state news agency KCNA, the two leaders engaged in a "candid exchange of thoughts" at Pyongyang's airport and agreed to strengthen the bilateral relationship.
"Kim Jong Un greeted Putin with a handshake, an embrace and conversation near the Russian leader's plane, after which they traveled together in a limousine to the Kumsusan State Guest House," KCNA reported.
It added: "Passing through charmingly lit streets of Pyongyang at night, the top leaders exchanged their pent-up innermost thoughts and opened their minds to more surely develop the DPRK-Russia relations."
The visit marks Putin's first to Pyongyang since 2000 and comes at a time when both Russia and North Korea have doubled down on their alliance in the face of harsh Western sanctions and condemnation.
KCNA described their partnership as an "engine for accelerating the construction of a new multipolar world," reflecting what it called the "resilience and strength of the friendship and unity" between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Russia has looked to leverage its ties with nuclear-armed North Korea as a way to challenge American influence, while cash-strapped Pyongyang has gained a crucial economic and political partner in Moscow.
However, the United States and its allies fear Russia could provide aid to advance North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, which are banned under UN Security Council resolutions. They have also accused Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, which both nations deny.
