Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to North Korea on Tuesday and will stay for one night, the Kremlin announced on Monday.
The trip will mark the first time Putin has visited the country since 2000, when he met with Kim Jong-il, the father of current leader Kim Jong-un.
A senior foreign policy aide to the Russian president, Yuri Ushakov, has outlined some of the details of the upcoming trip, stating that Putin will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko, Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov, and Russian Railway head Oleg Belozyorov, among others.
The two sides are expected to sign a number of documents during the visit, according to Ushakov, including a potential comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. The Russian delegation will also engage in extensive talks with its North Korean counterpart on a number of issues, including bilateral relations, the economy, security, and international cooperation.
Putin is also expected to attend a state concert being held in honor of his visit and hold informal talks with Kim.
“The relationship between the Russian Federation and the DPRK is friendly and good-neighborly,” Ushakov said, emphasizing that they are built on “the principles of equality and respect for sovereignty.”
Kim Jong-un invited Putin to visit North Korea while on a visit to the Russian Far East in September 2023, where he met the Russian president.
In January, Pyongyang extended an official invitation to Putin, calling him “the closest friend of the Korean people” and stating that the republic would warmly welcome the Russian leader with “all its heart.”
When Putin’s potential visit was initially announced, Japan, South Korea and the US, who have voiced concern over the growing ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, stated that they would be “closely monitoring” the situation and would respond decisively to any provocations by the North.
Meanwhile, China has publicly supported the strengthening of friendly relations between Russia and North Korea. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said last week that China “welcomes the fact that Russia is strengthening and developing traditional friendly relations with relevant countries” and noted that Beijing also maintains good neighborly ties with Pyongyang.