The armored train that left North Korea’s capital Pyongyang on Sunday with Kim on board crossed the Russian border on Tuesday.

Also attending the visit were North Korean military leaders, government advisors and officials in the fields of weapons production and aerospace engineering.

At the same time, Putin was in Vladivostok on Russia’s Pacific coast, just 13 miles from the North Korean border. He was there to participate in an economic forum that runs through Wednesday. However, it is unclear whether this is where the two leaders will meet.

Meet in the center of the room?

According to Japan’s Kyodo news agency, Kim’s train was heading north towards the Amur region. An unnamed Russian official told Kyodo that the meeting will likely be held at Russia’s rocket launch base – the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

Putin announced on Tuesday that he would visit the base, but without saying whether this was where he would meet Kim.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will also take part in the talks, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Tuesday. The report also reported that the meeting would take place over the “next few days.”

This is the first time in four years that Kim has left North Korea.

Closer after the invasion of Ukraine

Both Russia and North Korea are ostracized by Western countries, and the war in Ukraine has brought the two leaders closer together. Russia desperately needs military supplies from outside, while Kim wants advanced military technology as well as food and energy from his neighboring countries.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Tuesday that Kim had arrived in Russia. He said there was talk of a large meeting, and that Putin would also deserve to meet Kim personally.

– There will be negotiations between the two delegations, and after that, if necessary, the leaders will resume one-on-one communication, Peskov said.

Can strengthen Russia in Ukraine

According to US sources, Putin will try to persuade Kim to send artillery shells and anti-tank missiles to Russia.

This way, Russia would be in a better position to repel Ukraine’s counteroffensive, while Putin could demonstrate that Russia is capable of surviving a prolonged war of attrition.

According to analysts, North Korea may have tens of millions of Soviet-designed artillery shells and rockets, weapons that could give Russia a powerful military presence in Ukraine.

In return, North Korea would gain access to advanced technology for satellites and nuclear submarines from Russia.

The discussions will also address humanitarian aid to North Korea, and UN Security Council resolutions, according to Russian officials. Russia had previously taken part in adopting the resolution, which was a reaction to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Pressured to negotiate?

If Putin receives weapons supplies from North Korea, this could increase pressure on the United States and European countries, which for 17 months have been supplying Ukraine with large amounts of weapons. The prospect of a prolonged war of attrition may make them more willing to push Ukraine into negotiations with Russia.

The United States has repeatedly warned North Korea against supplying weapons to Russia, and that warning was repeated on Tuesday by Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the US National Security Council.

– We encourage the DPRK to comply with official promises made by Pyongyang not to provide or sell weapons to Russia, he said. DPRK is an abbreviation of the official name of North Korea.

Shoigu in Pyongyang

Russia and North Korea have had a complicated relationship for years. But at the end of July, Kim was visited by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. During his visit to Pyongyang, he witnessed a large-scale military parade, and he also studied the country’s new ballistic missiles at close range.

The powerful missile, which can be equipped with a nuclear warhead, is banned in several UN Security Council resolutions approved by Russia and China. They also have a range that reaches the mainland US.

This is the first time a Russian defense minister has visited North Korea since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

[ USA bekrefter utveksling av fanger og milliarder med Iran ]