North Korea FM says 'ready to greet' Russian President Vladimir Putin

North Korea FM says ‘ready to greet’ Russian President Vladimir Putin

In the most recent indication of the strengthening relations between the two totalitarian governments, North Korea’s top diplomat stated that her nation is “ready to greet” Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to official media on Sunday.

Russia and North Korea, longtime allies, have lately improved relations; in September of last year, Kim Jong Un, the leader of Pyongyang, made an unusual travel outside to meet with Putin in Russia’s Far East.

The West has accused Pyongyang and Moscow of collaborating to back Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; North Korea is said to have supplied its partner with hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds and weaponry.

Choe Son Hui, the foreign minister of North Korea, met with Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov and Putin last week while in Moscow.

The North Korean “government warmly welcomes President Putin to visit Pyongyang and is ready to greet the Korean people’s closest friend with the greatest sincerity,” Choe told Putin, according to a statement from the foreign minister’s assistant office, carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

Putin expressed “his willingness to visit the DPRK at an early date”, the statement said, referring to the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The statement added that Russia had expressed “deep thanks… for extending full support and solidarity to the stand of the Russian government and people on the special military operation in Ukraine.”

Increasing military and economic cooperation between Russia and North Korea has triggered concerns in Washington and Seoul.

Top Russian officials, including Moscow’s defence and foreign ministers, visited North Korea last year, fanning concern among Kyiv’s allies over a potential arms deal.

This month, the White House accused Pyongyang of sending ballistic missiles and launchers to Russia in what it called a “significant and concerning escalation” of support for Moscow’s war effort.

South Korea has accused Pyongyang of having provided more than one million artillery rounds to Moscow in exchange for advice on military satellite technology.

North Korea succeeded in putting a spy satellite into orbit last year, with Seoul saying it received Russian help.