Moscow: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un began his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome, a couple of hours after Pyongyang fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on September 13.
Russia’s state-run TASS News Agency said that while Putin flew to Vostochny from the Primorye Region where he participated in the Eastern Economic Forum, Kim arrived on a train to the spaceport’s rail station. The two leaders then greeted each other
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, discussions between Kim and Putin at the summit will focus primarily on bilateral cooperation, including trade and economic ties and cultural exchanges. They will also engage in a comprehensive exchange of opinions about the situation in the region and the international affairs in general, TASS quoted Peskov as saying.
In a video posted on the Kremlin’s official Telegram handle, Kim and Putin are seen shaking hands, after which the North Korean leader says: “Thank you for inviting us during your busy schedule,” the BBC reported. Kim also thanked the President for inviting him to Russia.
On his part, Putin told Kim. “I am glad to see you…This is our new cosmodrome” as he introduced the Vostochny space center launched in 2016. In a report, Russian TV said that Putin showed Kim around the facilities at the spaceport.
In response to questions from reporters if Russia will help North Korea build satellites, Putin said: “This is why we’ve come to Vostochny Cosmodrome”. According to analysts, if Kim and Putin also agree to strengthen their military cooperation, including a three-way naval drill with China, it would pose a major security challenge on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
‘If N Korea hands over N-arsenal to Russia, it will be dangerous’
New Delhi: South Korean Ambassador to India Chang Jae Bok said that North Korea is playing a ‘survival game’ with nuclear arsenal and if it provides any weapons to Russia, it will be “very dangerous”.
Addressing a press conference here at the Korean Culture Centre here, Jae Bok said: “North Korea is kind of playing survival game with nuclear arsenal. And if North Korea provides some weapons or arsenals to Russia, it will be very dangerous, so we are very cautious about that.”
