Russian President Vladimir Putin, who did not visit Pyongyang with its defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, sent a letter to the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
In the letter, Putin appreciated the North Korean government for their support during Ukraine’s invasion and praised the nation’s “solidarity with Russia on key international issues that highlight our common interests.”
North Korean state media showed images of Kim having put up huge portraits of Putin in one of the official buildings. Putin’s portraits can be seen hanging behind Kim with Sergei Shoigu, in their images. The two attended the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War last week. The day is celebrated every year as “Victory Day”.
Before Shoigu visited Pyongyang, the Russian defense ministry stated that the goal of his visit was to enhance the relationship between the Russian-North Korean military.
Ahead of Sergei Shoigu’s arrival in Pyongyang, Russia’s defense ministry had said in a statement that his trip was aimed at strengthening Russian-North Korean military ties. During his trip, Kim showed him the nuclear-capable missiles prohibited as per United Nations Security Council resolutions, along with something that seemed to be a new drone, as British news agency Reuters reported.
The defense exhibition put up by North Korea showcased its biggest nuclear missiles like the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ICBM, according to a report by NK News.
“That appears to have given way to courting Pyongyang as a strategic partner. Kim Jong Un’s support for Russia in its illegal war on Ukraine appears to have paid dividends”, told Ankita Panda, senior fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to Newsweek, American weekly news magazine.
At least one person died after a Russian missile landed on a residential building in the city of Kryvyi Rig, said Igor Klymenko, Ukraine’s interior minister. “Russians struck the city with two missiles. The second missile destroyed sections located between the fourth and ninth floors of a residential building. One person was killed and 10 people sought medical assistance. There may be people under the rubble”, he said.
