Summary of the day …
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, have signed a pact that includes a clause requiring the countries to come to each other’s aid if either is attacked. The inclusion of a mutual defence clause in their comprehensive strategic partnership, which Kim described as an “alliance”, will add to the west’s alarm over growing economic and military ties between North Korea and Russia
It was not immediately clear what form that support might take, and no details of the agreement were made public. Putin later described the pact as “defensive”, citing North Korea’s right to defend itself, Tass reported. He added that Russia would not rule out developing military-technical cooperation with North Korea
Putin’s visit has been closely watched by the US and South Korea amid concern that growing military cooperation between the isolated, sanctions-hit states could boost the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine and add to tensions on the Korean peninsula. In Washington, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said Putin’s visit highlighted Russia’s attempts, “in desperation, to develop and to strengthen relations with countries that can provide it with what it needs to continue the war of aggression that it started against Ukraine”
While in North Korea, Putin gave a luxury car to Kim as a present, which the pair took turns to drive after the agreement signing ceremony. Putin also laid a wreath at a monument to Soviet Union soldiers who fell during the liberation of the Korean peninsular from Japanese occupation
Tens of thousands of spectators had packed into the square, including children holding balloons and people wearing coordinated T-shirts in the red, white and blue of the Russian and North Korean flags. Speaking at the start of the talks, Putin thanked Kim for North Korea’s support for his war in Ukraine, calling it part of a wider “fight against the imperialist hegemonistic policies of the US and its satellites against the Russian Federation”
Justin McCurry in Tokyo offers this piece of analysis of today’s events for the Guardian: Putin and Kim keep quiet on details of mutual aid agreement
Neither the governments of Russia or North Korea have so far released a full text of the agreement that has been signed. Russia state-owned media Tass does have an summary of some of the key messages from Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, and it includes this section on international security and relations. Tass writes:
Security issues and the international agenda “occupied significant attention at the negotiations” Russia and the DPRK “consistently defend the idea of forming a more just and democratic, multipolar world order,” which should be based on international law and cultural and civilizational diversity.
Moscow and Pyongyang’s assessments regarding the root causes of the escalation of military-political tensions coincide: “This is the confrontational policy of the US to expand its military infrastructure in the subregion.” Such steps undermine peace and stability and pose a threat to all countries of Northeast Asia.
Moscow rejects “attempts to blame the DPRK for the worsening situation.” Pyongyang has the right to “take reasonable measures” to strengthen its own defence capabilities, ensure national security and protect sovereignty.
The negotiations held in Pyongyang “will contribute to the further development of friendship and partnership between Russia and the DPRK, strengthening security in the entire region.”
A state reception has begun in Pyongyang in North Korea as leader Kim Jong-un continues to welcome Russian president Vladimir Putin. The pair earlier signed a new mutual cooperation treaty between their two nations.
The dinner reception is, Tass reports, expected to feature the two leaders giving toasts, and follows a gala concert.
Russian presidential assistant Yuri Ushakov informed the media that after the dinner, the visit is practically over. The two leaders will visit the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, an Eastern Orthodox built in Pyongyang in the early 2000s. Putin will then depart for Hanoi for a visit to Vietnam.
Earlier, Putin gave Kim a luxury Russian car as a gift, and the pair drove away from the signing ceremony and press briefing with Putin behind the wheel.
Pictures issued from the visit show that Kim also took a turn driving the car.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un posed with the new cooperation agreement they signed between their nations.
Justin McCurry reports for the Guardian from Tokyo
The inclusion of a mutual defence clause in their comprehensive strategic partnership, finalised on Wednesday after hours of talks in the North Korean capital Pyongyang, will add to alarm in the West over growing economic and military ties between North Korea and Russia.
It wasn’t immediately clear what form that support might take, and no details of the agreement were initially made public. Vladimir Putin later described the pact as “defensive”, citing North Korea’s right to defend itself, according to Tass. He added that Russia would not rule out developing military-technical cooperation with North Korea.
Speaking after a signing ceremony, Kim Jong-un called the deal the “strongest ever treaty” signed between the two countries, elevating their relationship to the level of an alliance. The pact would lead to closer political, economic and military cooperation, he was quoted as saying.
He hailed the agreement as a “significant and historic moment”, adding, “I have no doubt it will become a driving force accelerating the creation of a new multipolar world.”
In Washington, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had earlier said Putin’s visit highlighted Russia’s attempts, “in desperation, to develop and to strengthen relations with countries that can provide it with what it needs to continue the war of aggression that it started against Ukraine”.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has confirmed the agreement signed between Russia and North Korea contains a mutual defence clause, telling Russian media:
In accordance with article four of the treaty, there is an agreement to provide assistance to each other in the event of aggression against any contracting country.
Kremlin: Moscow and Pyongyang cooperation is 'for the benefit of ourselves' and 'not directed against any third countries'
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said accusations that Russia and North Korea are building an anti-western alliance are completely incorrect.
Russian state-owned media Tass reports Peskov told newspaper Izvestia:
Virtually everything they [the West] do is, in one way or another, directed against us. And we, on the contrary, are building relationships, especially with our neighbours. Not against anyone, but for the benefit of ourselves. For the benefit of the interests of the peoples of our two countries. Russian-Korean cooperation is not directed against any third countries.
The west has accused North Korea of supplying armaments to Russia in order to bolster its supplies since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Putin and Kim Jong-un sign 'peaceful and defensive' pact between Russian and North Korea
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un have signed a comprehensive agreement pact between Russia and North Korea, which Kim described as “peaceful and defensive” and which Putin said did not rule out “the provision of mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement.”
Speaking after lengthy talks, Putin said the pair discussed world affairs and the global agenda a lot, and that Moscow and Pyongyang stood together against the politically motivated sanctions regimes of others.
Kim described Putin as “the dearest friend of the Korean people”, saying that “At this moment, when the whole world is paying close attention to Pyongyang, where the friendship mission from Russia has arrived, I stand with Russian comrades – our most honest friends and comrades.”
The Kremlin’s website indicated that the agreementalso included “cooperation in the field of healthcare, medical education and science”. Putin said that North Korea had a right to defend itself, and that “The Russian Federation does not rule out military-technical cooperation with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in accordance with the document signed today.”
Putin also laid a wreath at a monument to soldiers of the Sovier Union who lost their lives liberating the Korea peninsula from Japanese occupation. It is the Russian president’s first visit to North Korea for over two decades, and he will later head to Vietnam.
Reuters reports that in his speech after the meeting with Vladimir Putin, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has said the relationship between their two nations was raised to an alliance, with a pact that is peaceful and defensive, and the countries would expand mutual cooperation in politics, the economy and militarily.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has described Vladimir Putin as “the dearest friend of the Korean people” in comments after the two leaders met. It was Putin’s first visit to North Korean for over two decades, although the North Korean leader made a rare foreign trip to see Putin in Russia last year.
Russian state-media Tass reports that Kim said:
At this moment, when the whole world is paying close attention to Pyongyang, where the friendship mission from Russia has arrived, I stand with Russian comrades – our most honest friends and comrades, in this ceremonial hall.
Tass reports Kim said the two nations had signed a “most powerful agreement” which had been made possible by the “outstanding foresight” of “the dearest friend of the Korean people”, Putin.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that Russia and North Korea stand against politically motivated sanctions regimes. He said that talks with Kim Jong-un discussed world affairs and the global agenda a lot, and that the agreement the two countries have signed is of a defensive and peaceful nature. He said that North Korea has a right to defend itself.
Updated
The Kremlin’s website has indicated that the agreement signed by Russian and North Korea includes “cooperation in the field of healthcare, medical education and science”.
Vladimir Putin is speaking after his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.
Russian state-owned media Tass reports he has said:
The comprehensive partnership agreement signed today also provides for the provision of mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the parties to this agreement.
Putin has also said
The Russian Federation does not rule out military-technical cooperation with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in accordance with the document signed today.
Tass is posting updates from the press briefing in Russian on its Telegram channel as it takes place.
Here is some video from this morning’s greetings between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin.
Here are some more images from the ceremonial side of Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea. Tass reports that Putin has gifted Kim Jong-un a luxury Aurus car, an admiral’s dagger and a tea set.
Russia and North Korea sign new comprehensive strategic partnership pact
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un have signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pact.
Putin and Kim concluded one-on-one talks that lasted about two hours, Russian news agencies reported.
Tass reported that the document will replace treaties from 1961 and 2000-2001. Russian presidential assistant Yuri Ushakov said this was due to “the deep evolution of the geopolitical situation in the world and the region.”
Ushakov said the new document complies with all fundamental principles of international law, and is not of any confrontational nature. He said it will not be directed against any individual countries, but is aimed at ensuring greater stability in the northeast Asian region.
Rodion Miroshnik, who was among the senior leaders in the Luhansk People’s Republic in occupied Ukraine, and who now acts as an “ambassador-at-large” for Russia’s foreign ministry, has said that Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea “breaks the international agenda of the west”.
Tass quotes him saying:
One of the most important state visits of president Putin has begun. This visit and agreements break the international agenda of westerners, so lovingly built in recent months. The conspiracy theories of western representatives simply lose their meaning. Russia and the DPRK have strategic partnerships. Now a lot of analysts are discussing how these relations will affect the Ukrainian track.
Rebecca Ratcliffe is the Guardian’s south-east Asia correspondent
Russian president Vladimir Putin is likely to get a warm reception when he arrives in Hanoi, his next stop after North Korea. Communist-ruled Vietnam has long had strong relations with Moscow, and many remember the support the Soviet Union gave to Vietnam in past wars against the French and US. Putin is unlikely to encounter any criticism in the country, where media is tightly controlled.
According to a report by Russian news agency Tass, meetings will discuss collaboration in “trade and economic, scientific, technological and humanitarian areas” as well as to exchange views on key issues on the international and regional agenda.
Russia is a top supplier of weapons to the country, though arms transfers have fallen over recent years, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, to $72m in 2022 (down from around $1bn in 2014). Russia is not a major source of trade for Vietnam, though the two countries do have strong energy ties, with Russian firms operating in Vietnamese oil and gas in fields in the South China Sea – areas also claimed by China.
Vietnam’s leadership favours “bamboo diplomacy”, in which it avoids picking sides in international disputes, and instead takes a flexible, pragmatic approach. Last year Communist Party General-Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hosted US president Joe Biden, upgraded ties with the US, and hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Vietnam has also recently upgraded ties with Australia and Japan
Hanoi may argue that Putin’s visit “demonstrates its strategic autonomy amid Vietnam’s burgeoning relationships with the US and US allies, notably Japan and Australia” writes Hoang Thi Ha, senior fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, in Fulcrum, the institute’s site for regional analysis. She questions whether the visit will bring any tangible benefits, and notes that it risks undermining Vietnam’s image as a reliable partner in the eyes of the US and its allies – but adds that historical ties still resonate strongly in Vietnam.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Russia’s Belgorod region has issued an operational update, in which he claims multiple Ukrainian drones were taken down by Russian air defence. One woman who was reported to have suffered injuries in Shebekino has been transferred to hospital in Belgorod. Three other people are reported to have been injured, and across multiple locations Gladkov said their had been damage to private houses, cars, garages and the power supply. The claims have not been independently verified.
On the Telegram messaging app, the channel used by Kremlin media operations has posted that Vladimir Putin’s greeting in Pyongyang was “most spectacular”.
It reported:
Kim Jong-un met Putin on the red carpet, the anthems of the two countries were played, shots were fired and greetings were heard from the stands.
People who came to the square released balloons into the sky. And the ceremony ended with fireworks, despite the daylight hours.
China accounts for more than 90% of North Korea’s trade and has been its most dependable aid donor and diplomatic ally. But as Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang proves, the secluded state’s behaviour is being increasingly influenced by its security and economic ties with Russia.
Check out our explainer on what North Korea and Russia have to offer each other:
The open-format negotiations between Putin and Kim have now ended, Tass news agency reports. They lasted more than an hour and a half.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said the two leaders would now discuss “the most important, most sensitive issues” face-to-face.
Updated
Ukraine’s air defence systems destroyed 19 out of 21 drones that Russia launched overnight targeting several regions, Ukraine’s air force said on Wednesday.
Kim says North Korean-Russian relations entering period of 'new prosperity'
It’s Kim Jong-un’s turn to speak at his meeting with Vladimir Putin and he has told the Russian president that relations between their two countries are entering a period of “new prosperity”, according to Russian news agency Tass.
Kim also reportedly noted Russia’s role in “maintaining the strategic balance in the world” and expressed support for the “special operation”, which is what Moscow calls its invasion of Ukraine.
Pyongyang intends to strengthen “strategic” cooperation with Russia, Kim said:
The situation in the world is becoming more complicated and changing rapidly. In this situation, we intend to further strengthen strategic contacts with Russia, with the Russian leadership.
Updated
A few images have started to arrive from Putin’s welcome ceremony in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, showing the Russian president and his host, Kim Jong-un, walking past a row of grey horses ridden by soldiers in ceremonial uniform and a group of smiling children holding balloons.
A bit more from Pyongyang, where Vladimir Putin has told Kim Jong-un he hopes their next meeting “will take place in Russia, in Moscow”, according to Russian news wires.
Putin said he “admired Pyongyang’s transformation over the past 24 years” and that he was confident Wednesday’s negotiations would be “productive”, Tass news agency reported.
He also said that a new document had been prepared that would “form the basis of relations between the two states for many years to come”.
Nuclear-powered submarines of Russia’s Northern Fleet have launched cruise missiles at sea targets as part of exercises in the Barents Sea, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday, citing the fleet’s news service. Reuters reports further:
“The nuclear submarine missile cruisers ... of Northern Fleet carried out practical missile firing at sea targets in the Barents Sea,” the Tass news agency reported, citing the statement from fleet.
The Severodvinsk and the Orel nuclear-powered submarines fired Kalibr and Granit cruise missiles a distance of about 170 km (106 miles) at a target simulating a detachment of landing ships of a mock enemy, the Interfax news agency reported.
“According to objective control data, the combat exercise was completed successfully,” Interfax said, citing the fleet statement. “The missile weapons used have once again confirmed their inherent characteristics and high reliability.”
The missile firing area was closed in advance to civilian shipping and aviation flights.
The Barents Sea in the Arctic Ocean is located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and is divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial waters.
Putin thanks Kim for 'unwavering' support on Ukraine
Putin has opened his talks with Kim by telling him of Moscow’s appreciation for Pyongyang’s support including on Ukraine, Russia’s Tass news agency reports. The Russian president said:
We highly appreciate your consistent and unwavering support for Russian policy, including in the Ukrainian direction.
Russia is fighting “decades of imposed US imperialist policies”, Putin reportedly told Kim.
Updated
Putin and Kim have now begun their official talks, news wires are reporting, after a welcome ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang.
Russian media photographs showed soldiers and a large crowd of civilians gathered at the square by the Taedong River running through the capital, including children holding balloons and giant portraits of the two leaders, with national flags adorning the Grand People’s Study Hall.
Wednesday’s agenda includes one-on-one discussions between the two leaders, as well as a gala concert, state reception, honour guards, document signings and a statement to the media, Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov as saying.
A Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s western region of Lviv, bordering Nato-member Poland, has injured one man and damaged a multi-storey residential building, the mayor of Lviv city said on Wednesday. Reuters reports:
The drone attack in the village of Malekhiv in the Lviv city district also damaged scores of windows in other residential buildings, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
A 70-year-old man was hospitalised in a moderate condition, Sadovyi added. Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozytskyi said on Telegram that all five drones that Russia launched were destroyed by Ukraine’s air defence systems. The damage and injury were caused by falling debris.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war, that Russia launched against its smaller neighbour in February 2022.
Lviv city is the administrative centre of the Lviv region in western Ukraine.
China, which neighbours North Korea and to which Russia has also drawn closer after its invasion of Ukraine, has welcomed Putin’s trip to Pyongyang.
According to the state-run Global Times, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for Beijing’s foreign ministry, told reporters on Thursday that “China welcomes Russia to cement and grow ties with countries they have traditional friendship with.”
Wang Junsheng, a research fellow of East Asian studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the paper the deepening of Russian-North Korean ties was unsurprising given the “targeting” of Pyongyang by the “US-led military alliances in north-east Asia”, Nato’s expansion in Europe and the Ukraine conflict.
Cui Heng, a research fellow from the Center for Russian Studies of East China Normal University, meanwhile told the paper it was a “rational choice” for Moscow and Pyongyang to cooperate. According to the Times, Cui said:
Any significant cooperation between Russia and North Korea could make the US concerned or even frightened. This means Washington’s approach in past decades has failed to weaken and isolate these two countries, as they are now standing closer with each other and becoming more powerful than before through cooperation.
Analysis
The number of countries prepared to afford Vladimir Putin the kind of reception he has received in North Korea has dwindled since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now shunned by much of the world, the Russian leader nonetheless received the red-carpet treatment – and an embrace from his host, Kim Jong-un – in Pyongyang in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Today, though, the two leaders will be locked in talks on where next to take the deepening relationship between their countries - one necessitated by their growing diplomatic isolation.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, told Russia’s Tass news agency that the summit could produce a treaty on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” – a document expected to accelerate and broaden cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Information about their second meeting in nine months is coming from Russian and North Korean state media – so details of the talks are unlikely to emerge until the ink has dried on rumoured deals on economic and security ties.
Kremlin and North Korean watchers believe those agreements will almost certainly mean more weapons and munitions from Pyongyang for the war in Ukraine. Putin could reciprocate with food and energy assistance, as well as help with the North’s space surveillance programme, but may stop short of sharing sensitive weapon technology.
Despite their defiant rhetoric targeting the US and its Western allies, analysts say Kim and Putin are unlikely to realise Washington’s worst fears and enter into an official, Nato-style military alliance requiring them to come to each other’s defence in the event of a conflict.
Instead, their joint declaration could call for “elevated” levels of military, security and economic cooperation, as both countries attempt to limit the impact of international sanctions.
North Korean state media said Kim and Putin voiced their “pent-up inmost thoughts” as they were driven through the “charmingly lit” streets of Pyongyang early this morning. By the end of the day, we should have a clearer idea of how far they are willing to go to act on their shared frustrations.
The official meeting ceremony between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin has begun in a square in Pyongyang, the Russian news wire Tass is reporting. Below you can see how the North Korean capital was preparing for the visit – we’ll bring you pics of the ceremony as soon as we get them.
A few more images from Pyongyang, where the streets were prepped in advance for Putin’s visit:
Mark Rutte expected to become next Nato leader
Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch prime minister, is expected to become the next head of Nato after winning over Hungary’s prime minister with a promise not to deploy Budapest’s forces or spend its money supporting Ukraine.
Viktor Orbán, the leader in Nato seen as closest to Russia, announced he had dropped his objections after discussions with Rutte, prompting the current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, to declare that the selection process would end “very soon”.
On Tuesday afternoon, Orbán wrote on X that “Hungary is ready to support PM Rutte’s bid for Nato secretary general” and published a letter of reassurance he had received from the Dutch politician earlier that day.
In it, Rutte wrote to Orbán: “I am aware of the outcome of talks between Jens Stoltenberg [the current secretary-general] and you regarding Nato’s support for Ukraine. It is my understanding that you stressed that no Hungarian personnel would take part in these activities and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them.”
The Dutch leader, 57, added that he would respect the commitment given to Hungary, writing “in a possible future capacity as Nato secretary general, I will fully support this outcome of the talks” and added: “I look forward to our future engagement – whatever that might be.”
US soldier sentenced to almost four years in prison by Russian court, local media reports
Gordon Black, the US soldier who was arrested last month in the Russian city of Vladivostok on suspicion of theft and threats to kill his girlfriend, has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, the Russian news agency Tass reports.
A bit more analysis here from Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, who has told the AFP news agency that Putin’s visit is a way for him to thank North Korea “for acting as an ‘arsenal for autocracy’ in support of his illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
The fact that Russia’s leader has come to the North is also “politically important because it allows Pyongyang’s propaganda to portray Kim as a world leader,” he said, continuing:
Moscow and Pyongyang will likely continue to deny violations of international law but have notably shifted from hiding their illicit activities to flaunting their cooperation.
Easley noted that any transfers of “sensitive military technologies to Pyongyang would not only violate UN sanctions but could also destabilise the Korean Peninsula and East Asia.
As Putin arrived in Pyongyang, US and Nato officials voiced concern about what aid Russia might be giving to North Korea and the implications for security on the Korean peninsula.
At a joint press briefing with US secretary of state Antony Blinken, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said:
We are of course also concerned about the potential support that Russia provides to North Korea when it comes to supporting their missile and nuclear programs.
Separately, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told a news briefing that deepening Russia-North Korea cooperation was “a trend that should be of great concern to anyone interested in maintaining peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.”
The top US arms control official, under secretary of state Bonnie Jenkins, has said she believes North Korea is keen to acquire fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies from Russia.
Blinken meanwhile said Putin’s Pyongyang trip was a sign of his “desperation” to strengthen relations with countries that can support his war in Ukraine.
Prosecutors have asked for a prison sentence of four years and eight months for a US soldier who has been detained in the Russian city of Vladivostok on suspicion of theft and threats to kill his girlfriend, Reuters reports citing Russian agencies:
Gordon Black, who was detained on 2 May in Vladivostok in Russia’s far east, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of threatening to kill his girlfriend but admitted he was “partially” guilty of stealing from her.
“(We ask) to impose a sentence of four years and eight months, to be served in a penal colony,” Russia’s Ria state news agency cited the prosecutor as saying at the court hearing.
The prosecutor has also asked for a fine of 40,000 roubles ($469), RIA reported. Black’s defence lawyer has asked the court to acquit him of all of the charges, Ria reported.
Earlier, Ria reported that Black “partially” acknowledged his guilt on the charge of stealing 10,000 roubles ($113) from his girlfriend Alexandra Vashchuk’s purse but said that “there was no intent”.
The pair had met in South Korea, where Black was stationed. The Pentagon has said that he broke army rules by travelling to Russia without authorisation, having passed through China.
Kim and Putin will spend almost the entire day “at the negotiating table in various formats”, Russian news agency Tass reports. It quotes Putin aide Yuri Ushakov as saying that the trip shows Russia is open to cooperation with all countries “despite all attempts of collective the west to put pressure on us.””
Ushakov “drew special attention to the fact that Korean friends show an understanding of the real causes and essence of the Ukrainian crisis,” Tass continued, writing: “Moscow appreciates this”.
The negotiations will pay “significant attention” to the international agenda, Tass wrote, adding:
It is important that the approaches of the two countries to current foreign policy problems are very close or completely coincide.
Several joint documents are set to be signed and Ushakov did not rule out that one of them could be a new comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, replacing previous agreements dating from 1961, 2000 and 2001, and which would broaden cooperation, Tass reported.
Asked whether the document would include military-technical cooperation and military assistance, Ushakov reportedly answered:
It will outline the prospects for further cooperation and will be signed, naturally, taking into account what has happened between the countries in recent years in the field of international politics, both in the economic sphere and in the sphere of relations along all lines, including taking into account security issues..
Updated
In an analysis of what North Korea wants from Putin’s visit, Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior fellow at 38 North, a Washington-based think tank focusing on North Korea, suggests the country may have longer-term economic goals in sight. She writes:
It is almost certainly not a coincidence that since June 2023, just as North Korea was aligning itself more closely with Russia, there has been a significant uptick in state media coverage of moves by BRICs and Russia to explore alternative economic arrangements that do not require the US dollar.
Historically, one of the main reasons North Korea has pursued improved relations with Washington was to broker sanctions relief and regain access to the international financial system.
If Pyongyang views Russia as a viable longer-term partner for improving its economy – as irrational as this may seem to some – there is even less of an incentive for it to try to improve relations with the United States.
Here are some of the best images that have come to us over the wires so far from Putin’s trip to Pyongyang:
Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang a 'strong, strategic fortress', North Korean media says
Pyongyang has hailed its relations with Moscow as a “strong, strategic fortress” as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived on a state visit, his first trip to North Korea in almost 25 years.
State-run news wire KCNA said the relationship was “an engine for accelerating the building of a new multi-polar world,” and demonstrated “invincibility and durability”.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un greeted Putin at the airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and rode with him in a motorcade to his accommodation, KCNA reported.
It said that on the journey the pair “exchanged their pent-up inmost thoughts and opened their minds” to how they could further develop their relationship.
Wednesday’s agenda includes further one-on-one discussions between the two leaders, as well as a gala concert, state reception, honour guards, document signings and a statement to the media, Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov as saying.
Ties between the neighbours have deepened since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Pyongyang believed to have provided weapons in return for food and energy aid as well as support with its space and missile programmes.
Russia and North Korea have denied striking any agreement on weapons transfers during a trip by Kim to Russia last year.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine and today’s visit by Vladimir Putin to North Korea, where he is expected to seek further military support.
Relations between North Korea and Russia have “emerged as a strong strategic fortress” at a “crucial time”, North Korean state media has said as the Russian president arrived in Pyongyang for his first visit since 2000.
Putin was greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the early hours of Wednesday morning “in an exciting atmosphere”, KCNA news wire reported in typically flowery language. Kim then escorted Putin to his accommodation.
Ties between the two countries have strengthened significantly since Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Kim believed to have supplied arms to Russia in return for food and energy aid and help with his country’s space programme.
Here are the key developments:
Putin praised North Korea for “firmly supporting” Moscow’s war in Ukraine, in an article published in the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers’ party, on Tuesday. “We highly appreciate that [North Korea] is firmly supporting the special military operations of Russia being conducted in Ukraine,” the Russian leader wrote.
The Russian leader also commended Kim for defying UN security council sanctions – measures that were supported by Moscow until recently – targeting his regime’s nuclear ambitions. Pyongyang had defended its interests “very effectively, despite the US economic pressure, provocation, blackmail and military threats that have lasted for decades”, Putin wrote.
The US voiced concern that the visit could have security implications for Ukraine and the Korean peninsula, which has been shaken in recent days by friction along the heavily armed border that has separated North from South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean war. “We know North Korean ballistic missiles are still being used to hit Ukrainian targets (and) there could be some reciprocity here that could affect security on the Korean peninsula,” the US national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, told reporters.
Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said Putin’s trip showed he was “dependent” on authoritarian leaders. “Their closest friends and the biggest supporters of the Russian war effort – war of aggression – [are] North Korea, Iran and China,” he said.
A Kazkah opposition figure and prominent blogger with more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube has been seriously wounded in an attempted killing in Kyiv. Aydos Sadykov, who was granted asylum in Ukraine in 2014, was shot near his home and taken to hospital in a “serious condition”, his wife, Natalia Sadykova, said.
Ukrainian officials have already started preparatory work to organise a second peace summit, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Tuesday, after the first conference led by Ukraine was held last weekend in Switzerland. A summit hosted by Switzerland over the weekend saw over 90 countries attend, but Ukraine and its allies failed to persuade major non-aligned states to join their final statement, and no country came forward to host a sequel.
Ukraine claimed responsibility for an overnight drone attack on an oil facility in Russia’s Rostov region that started a massive blaze in the latest long-range strike by Kyiv’s forces on a border region.
Kyiv on Tuesday accused Russian forces of beheading a Ukrainian serviceman in the eastern Donetsk region, the latest allegation of abuse levied by Ukrainian prosecutors against Moscow. “While conducting aerial reconnaissance at one of the combat positions in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military discovered a damaged armoured vehicle of the Ukrainian Defence Forces. It contained the severed head of a Ukrainian defender,” the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general posted on social media.
