North Korean leader Kim Jong Un plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month to discuss potentially providing Moscow with weapons to support its ongoing war in Ukraine, a U.S. official told CBS News.
Kim would meet Putin in Russia, though the exact location is not clear.
The New York Times first reported the North Korean leader’s expected travel plans.
The possible meeting between the Russian and North Korean leaders comes after the White House said it had new information that arms negotiations between the two countries were ‘actively advancing.’
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday that Russia’s defense minister recently traveled to North Korea to ‘try to convince Pyongyang to send artillery ammunition’ to Russia, and after the visit, Putin and Kim exchanged letters ‘pledging to increase their bilateral cooperation.’
Russia’s government declined Tuesday to confirm that any meeting was planned, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, responding to questions about the claims by U.S. officials, telling reporters in Moscow: ‘We have nothing to say on this.’
Kirby said intelligence obtained by the U.S. indicates that after the visit to North Korea by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, another group of Russian officials traveled to Pyongyang for further discussions about a possible arms deal between the two countries.
Potential deals could include ‘significant quantities and multiple types’ of munitions from North Korea, which Russia would use for its ongoing war against Ukraine, Kirby said.
He warned any weapons agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang would violate numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions.
