Support The Moscow Times!

Kremlin Says Unable to Confirm Putin-Kim Jong Un Summit

Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin during a meeting in 2019. Valery Melnikov / POOL / TASS

The Kremlin on Tuesday declined to confirm a possible summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which U.S. officials have said they expect.

U.S. officials and media have said they believe Kim will make a rare trip abroad to neighboring Russia to meet Putin.

"No, we cannot" confirm this, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, when he was asked if Kim would meet Putin soon. "We have nothing to say on this."

Washington has accused Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Moscow for its Ukraine offensive.

Russia is one of a handful of countries that has friendly relations with the secretive state.

As its Ukraine offensive drags on, it has in recent months worked for even closer ties with Pyongyang.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who in July visited North Korea, on Monday said Moscow was considering joint military drills with North Korea.

"Why not? They are our neighbors," Shoigu was quoted as saying by the state-run TASS news agency when asked about the possible exercises.

Shoigu became Kim's first known foreign guest since the Covid-19 pandemic when he visited Pyongyang on July 27.

He was shown Pyongyang's nuclear missiles during a personal tour by the North Korean leader.

Russia shares a short border with North Korea on its Pacific coast.

If Kim does visit, he is expected to cross the border by armored train, as he did in 2019 when he met Putin in the Far East Russian city of Vladivostok.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more