Putin flies into Pyongyang to waiting Kim and red carpet welcome
Al Jazeera
North Korea’s state media says Russian leader’s visit is a historic event and shows the ‘invincibility’ of the two countries ties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un aim to further deepen ties between their nuclear-armed countries as the two men began talks soon after Putin arrived at Pyongyang international airport to a lavish red carpet welcome.
Putin landed in the North Korean capital before dawn on Wednesday morning where Kim was waiting to greet him. The two men shook hands and hugged while a woman in a traditional Korean hanbok presented Putin with a bouquet of red roses. The North Korean leader then joined Putin in his limousine as they travelled together in a motorcade, along streets decorated with the Russian flag and portraits of the Russian leader, to the Kumsusan State Guest House.
State news agency KCNA said the the meeting between the two leaders was a historic event that showed the “invincibility and durability” of the friendship and unity between North Korea and Russia. The two countries’ relations had “emerged as a strong strategic fortress for preserving international justice, peace and security and an engine for accelerating the building of a new multi-polar world”, it added.
Putin is on his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, with relations between the two countries growing closer since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 amid concerns that Pyongyang is providing Moscow with weaponry in return for Russian technological expertise.
Moscow and Pyongyang have denied arms transfers but have promised to boost military ties.
