North Korea Leader Kim Jong Un Crosses Russian Border for Talks with Putin
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived via rail in Russia where he is due to meet President Vladimir Putin.
Mr Kim left Pyongyang for Russia on Sunday on his private train, North Korea’s state media reported.
It is not known where the leaders will meet, as Mr Kim’s train is reportedly heading north, away from the city of Vladivostok.
A US official said they were expected to discuss an arms deal as Russia faces a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
The Kremlin said that the “fully fledged visit” would cover “bilateral relations, the situation in the region and in the global arena”.
The meeting could take place as early as Tuesday local time – although the statement from the Kremlin said it would happen in the “coming days”.
Footage shows him stepping off the train onto a red carpet to be greeted by a Russian delegation as a brass band plays.
He also met Alexander Kozlov, Russia’s minister for natural resources. According to Oleg Kozhemyako, a regional governor who released footage of the meeting, they discussed the potential launch this year of joint tourism and agricultural projects.
Mr Kim’s train is rumoured to include at least 20 heavy bulletproof carriages. The extra weight means the train is very slow – it can only travel at around 37mph (59 km/h).
The North Korean leader’s last trip abroad was to Vladivostok in 2019 for a summit with Mr Putin after the collapse of nuclear disarmament talks with the then-US president, Donald Trump.
The Vostochny cosmodrome, located in Russia’s far east near the border with China, has been suggested as the possible meeting place for the two leaders.
The Russian president has announced he plans to go to the cosmodrome but has not confirmed that Mr Kim will meet him there. Responding to a question at the Eastern Economic Forum, Mr Putin said: “When I get there, you will know”.
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