Putin hosts North Korea’s foreign minister as ties with Pyongyang grow
Choe Son Hui’s Moscow trip comes amid closer Russia-North Korea ties and questions over whether Kim Jong Un may visit Russia again.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
Russian President Vladimir Putin met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Kremlin and thanked Pyongyang for backing Russia’s war in Ukraine, Russian state media reported. The meeting points to continuing coordination between Moscow and Pyongyang as North Korea expands its role in Russia’s war effort, according to The Associated Press.
Choe’s trip to Russia did not coincide with a public diplomatic gathering or state anniversary, the AP reported. The timing has prompted speculation that she could be preparing a possible Russia visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though neither government has announced such a plan.
North Korean state media said Choe left for Russia on Saturday at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to the AP. It had not given a reason for her trip.
South Korea said it was watching the talks closely. Yoon Min Ho, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Unification Ministry, told reporters Monday that Seoul was monitoring the meetings, but he declined to say whether Russia and North Korea were discussing another summit between Putin and Kim, the AP reported.
Kremlin meeting follows earlier Putin-Kim contacts
Russia’s Tass news agency said Putin met Choe on Sunday and praised relations between the two countries. Tass reported that Putin again expressed gratitude to North Korea’s leadership and people for supporting Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
Choe told Putin that Kim remains committed to broadening relations with Russia, Tass reported. The meeting was held at the Kremlin, where official images showed Putin greeting Choe.
Kim has traveled to Russia for meetings with Putin before. The AP reported that Kim visited Russia’s Far East for summits in 2019 and 2023.
Putin also invited Kim to return to Russia during a June 2024 summit in Pyongyang, according to the AP. At that meeting, the two leaders signed a strategic partnership agreement that included a pledge of mutual assistance if either country comes under aggression.
North Korea’s role in the Ukraine war
The AP reported that Kim has made Russia a central focus of North Korea’s foreign policy in recent years. North Korea has sent thousands of troops and large quantities of weapons to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, possibly in return for economic assistance and technology transfers, the AP reported.
Some experts say those transfers may be helping North Korea improve its military capabilities, according to the AP. Kim has also continued to seek closer ties with China as he presents Pyongyang as part of a bloc opposed to Washington, the AP reported.
That outreach has included high-level contacts with Beijing. The AP reported that North Korean Cabinet Premier Pak Thae Song, Kim’s top economic official, met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, while Wang Huning, a member of China’s Politburo Standing Committee, visited Kim in Pyongyang this month.
Kim also hosted Xi for a June summit in Pyongyang, the AP reported. The North Korean leader has embraced the idea of a “new Cold War” as he strengthens ties with Russia and China, according to the AP.
The AP reported that Kim has suspended meaningful dialogue with the United States and South Korea since his nuclear diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. He has used Russia’s war in Ukraine to speed work on North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs while demanding that Washington drop its call for North Korean nuclear disarmament as a condition for talks, according to the AP.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.