MOSCOW, Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has
accepted an invitation to visit North Korea, Pyongyang's state-run KCNA news
agency said on Thursday.
The invite came from North
Korean leader Kim
Jong Un during
talks with Putin at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
"Putin accepted the
invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward
the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK friendship," KCNA said.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Kim
vowed Pyongyang's "full and unconditional support" for Russia's
invasion of Ukraine.
North Korean state media said
the two leaders had committed themselves to a "common front to frustrate
the imperialists' military threat and provocation."
Observers and US officials
believe Putin
is seeking ammunition and missiles from North Korea's abundant
stockpiles.
James O'Brien, head of the
Office of Sanctions Coordination at the US State Department, said Russia was
"scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for help because it's having
trouble sustaining its military."
Putin denied he was breaching
sanctions that prohibit procuring weapons from North Korea.
"There are certain
restrictions, Russia is following all of them," he said. "There
are things we can talk about, we're discussing, thinking. Russia is a
self-sufficient country, but there are things we can bring attention to, we're
discussing them."
Kim
and Putin's four-hour meeting was held at the Vostochny
Cosmodrome, the most important launchpad on Russian soil.
Kim is reportedly seeking
Russia's help in developing military reconnaissance satellites. North Korea
country has so
far failed in its attempts to launch a satellite into orbit.
South Korea's Unification
Ministry said Kim was accompanied by Pak Thae Song, the chairman of North
Korea's space science and technology committee, and Admiral Kim Myong Sik, who
has been linked to Pyongyang's efforts to acquire spy satellites and nuclear-capable
ballistic missile submarines.
When asked by Russian media at
the space center if Moscow would help Kim build satellites, Putin replied:
"That's why we came here."
Meanwhile, Japan on Thursday
warned against violating UN resolutions on arms deals with North Korea, after
Putin met with Kim.
"We are watching [the
talks] with concerns including the possibility that it could lead to
violations of the Security Council's ban on all arms-related material
transactions with North Korea," Yoko Kamikawa, Japan's newly appointed
foreign minister, told the media.
Kamikawa said the
"Russian invasion of Ukraine cannot be accepted".
"Japan has urged third parties not to provide support to Russian forces. We are watching related activities with concerns," she added.
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