The Russian president Vladimir Putin arrived on Tuesday North Korea after having said that the two countries must cooperate closely to confront international sanctions amid growing confrontations with Washington.
Putin was received at the airport Pyongyang by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, the agencies reported RIA-Novosti and Interface.
The presidential plane landed around 02:45 local time (17:45 GMT) at Sunan International Airport, where Putin was personally received by Kim, with whom he had met last September on Russian territory.
Kim, dressed in rigorous black, waited for Putin practically at the foot of the stairs, after which both They embraced each other and a woman dressed in traditional Korean clothing gave the Russian leader a bouquet of red flowers.
Next, both walked on a red carpet and reviewed an honor guard made up of troops from North Korea’s three armies, and Putin greeted some of those present.
The leaders chatted for a few minutes before entering the official car, a Russian Aurus, in which Putin invited his North Korean colleague to get into.
In the video released by the Kremlin you can see how The official delegation advances towards Pyongyang escorted by police on motorcycles.
The airport was decorated with Russian flags, portraits of Putin and welcome phrases in Russian such as “We warmly greet the president of the Russian Federation, Comrade Vladimir Putin.”
Putin is staying tonight at the luxurious Kumsusan Guest Palace, built in 2019 and which housed Chinese leader Xi Jinping when he visited North Korea five years ago.
Earlier, in an op-ed, Putin thanked North Korea for supporting his actions in Ukraine and said their countries will cooperate closely to overcome sanctions.
Putin’s comments appeared in an op-ed in North Korean state media hours before his two-day visit, while The countries deepen their alignment in the face of separate and increasingly intense confrontations with Washington.
In Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, streets were decorated with portraits of Putin and Russian flags. A banner hanging on a building read: “We warmly welcome the President of the Russian Federation.”
Putin, on his first trip to North Korea in 24 years, said he greatly appreciated its strong support for his military action in Ukraine. He indicated that countries would continue to “resolutely oppose” what he described as Western ambitions “to hinder the establishment of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect for sovereignty and consideration of each other’s interests.”
Russia launched war in Ukraine in 2022.
Putin also said that Russia and North Korea will develop trade and payment systems “that are not controlled by the West” and will jointly oppose the sanctions that he described as “illegal and unilateral restrictions”.
North Korea is under heavy economic sanctions from the UN Security Council for its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also dealing with sanctions from the United States and its Western partners for its aggression in Ukraine.
Putin said the countries will also expand cooperation in tourism, culture and education.
For his part, John Kirby, spokesman for the United States National Security Council, said that the deepening relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang is worrying, “not only because of the impacts it will have on the Ukrainian people, because we know that the missiles North Korean ballistic missiles are still used to attack Ukrainian targets, but because there could be some reciprocity here that could affect security on the Korean Peninsula.”
(With information from AP and EFE)
