North Korea's Kim Jong Un is hoping for a win today at his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his first ever. The meeting comes months after his second meeting with Trump that faltered. Both leaders are hoping for closer ties.
The duo will meet at Vladivostok, a far eastern city in Russia. Putin is keen to put forward Moscow as a player in a global flashpoint.
In brief statements before heading in to the talks, both leaders expressed their hopes for strengthening historic ties.
“I think it will be a very useful meeting in developing the relationship between the two countries, who have a long friendship and history, into a more stable and sound one,” Kim said.
“As the world is focused on the Korean peninsula, I think we will hold a very meaningful dialogue,” Putin told Kim he supports ongoing efforts to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and wants to boost economic ties.
“I am confident that your visit... will help us to better understand how we can resolve the situation on the Korean peninsula and what Russia can do to support the positive processes that are currently taking place,” Putin added.
Moscow was a crucial backer of Pyongyang for decades and their ties go back to the founding of North Korea, when the Soviet Union installed Kim's grandfather Kim II Sung as a leader.
The USSR reduced funding to the North as it began to seek reconciliation with Seoul in the 1980s, but Pyongyang was hit hard by its demise in 1991.
Kim's government has been facing shortfalls at the UN this year and will need Moscow to boost aid.
Russia has provided some $25 million in food aid to North Korea in recent years, according to the Kremlin.
Kim was greeted at Vladivostok by a military orchestra. White gloved attendants were seen running alongside his armoured train to wipe the dust from any surfaces that he might touch. With this meeting, Putin hopes to push Russia's agenda of opposing US international influence.
In an interview with China's official People's Daily published on Thursday, Putin lashed out at “countries claiming sole global leadership”.
“They carelessly trample on the norms and principles of international law, resort to blackmail, sanctions and pressure, and try to force their values and dubious ideals on entire countries and populations,” said Putin, who is heading to China after the talks for another summit.
The Vladivostok meeting follows repeated invitations from Putin since Kim embarked on a series of diplomatic overtures last year.
The Kremlin has said the focus of Thursday's talks will be on finding “a political and diplomatic solution to the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula” but that no joint statement or signing of agreements was planned.
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