Kim Jong Un to visit Russia to negotiate weapons sales, US officials say

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un plans to visit Russia later in September, according to U.S. officials. The officials said Russia is looking to buy weapons and ammunition from North Korea to refill reserves drained by Russia’s war with Ukraine.

When asked about a New York Times report on the potential visit, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “We have nothing to say to you on this matter.” A meeting between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin may take place as part of the Eastern Economic Forum.

A meeting with President Putin would be Kim’s first summit with a foreign leader since North Korea closed its borders in January 2020. According to U.S. officials, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu asked Kim to send more ammunition to Russia during a visit to Pyongyang in July 2023.

“We know that Russia is engaged in trade with North Korea, and definitely North Korea is a thorny issue for regional security in northeast Asia and for the U.S. and its allies. And that’s where Russia really wants to prop up North Korea to create more troubles to the United States,” Alexander Gabuev, a political analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center, said Tuesday, Sept. 5. “North Koreans are looking for economic support, fuel, food, sources of cash, anything that can help to keep the regime afloat. And Russia seems to be ready to provide that even through violation of the UN sanctions.”

It’s unclear how far Kim Jong Un’s military cooperation with Russia could go, but any sign of warming relations will worry rivals like the U.S. and South Korea. Russia seeks to quash a Ukrainian counteroffensive and prolong the war, while North Korea extends a record pace of missile tests to protest U.S. moves to reinforce its military alliances with South Korea and Japan.