Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea on June 18-19; US embassy reacts

Russian President Vladimir Putin is all set to visit North Korea on 18-19 June, aiming to underscore Moscow’s burgeoning partnership with the reclusive nuclear-armed state, reported Reuters on 17 June.

Earlier in September 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended an invite to Putin during a visit to Russia’s Far East. Since July 2020, Putin has not visited Pyongyang.

“At the invitation of the Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin will pay a friendly state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on June 18-19,” Reuters quoted the Kremlin as saying.

Putin will visit Vietnam on 19-20 June after concluding his North Korean visit, the Kremlin said.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has gone out of its way to publicise the renaissance of its relationship with North Korea. This move has sparked an alarm among the United States and its allies in Europe and Asia.

This is a developing story, it will be updated shortly.