Russia’s Putin urges North Korea’s Kim to strengthen ties amid Liberation Day greetings
Russian President Vladimir Putin, (right), and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands as they pose for pictures prior to their talks at the Far Eastern Federal University campus on Russky island in Vladivostok on April 15, 2019. — AFP/File Photo
Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged Moscow and Pyongyang to strengthen their ties in a message of congratulations to Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of North Korea on the occasion of the nation’s National Liberation Day on Tuesday, according to media reports.
Since the Kremlin launched what it calls a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, resulting in widespread conflicts, North Korea and Russia have grown closer.
“I am sure that we will continue to build up bilateral cooperation in all areas for the benefit of our peoples, in the interests of strengthening stability and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the Northeast Asian region as a whole,” Putin said in a statement distributed by the Kremlin.
According to Putin, it was during Korea’s liberation from Japan and “harsh wartime” that groundwork was laid for close cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Following a meeting with his counterpart Kang Sun Nam in Pyongyang last month, Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defence minister, praised his nation’s relationship with North Korea in a statement.
In response to the visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US believed Shoigu was in North Korea to obtain supplies of weaponry to support Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
On the contrary, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, while also celebrating Liberation Day on Tuesday, referred to Japan as a “partner” who shares his country’s values and goals.
As Kim Jong Un called for rapid military development, including tactical nukes, Yoon responded by trying to patch things up with Japan, a former colonial power, while also bringing South Korea closer to Washington, a longtime friend.
The leaders of the three nations are due to meet on Friday in the US for a trilateral summit where they are expected to discuss ways to improve military cooperation, the media reported. The summit “will set a new milestone in trilateral cooperation contributing to peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region,” Yoon said. – Web Desk/news agencies
