Kim Jong Un Unlikely to Visit Russia in September
Russia has stated that North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un is unlikely to visit Russia in the near future.
According to Russia's RIA Novosti news agency, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov answered "No" on June 20 (local time) when asked whether Chairman Kim might visit Russia in September on the occasion of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) to be held in Vladivostok.
Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Chairman Kim to Russia during his visit to Pyongyang in June last year. Since then, there has been speculation that Kim might make a return visit to Russia, possibly timed with the 80th anniversary of Victory Day or the Eastern Economic Forum.
However, with the Kremlin's latest statement, it is now widely expected that a visit to Russia by Kim in the short term is unlikely. Nevertheless, Russia has announced that a North Korean delegation will attend the Eastern Economic Forum, indicating that diplomatic contact between North Korea and Russia will continue.
Following last year's summit between Kim Jong Un and President Putin, Russia and North Korea signed a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty." Since then, North Korea has been expanding the dispatch of military personnel to support Russia, which is at war.
Meanwhile, spokesperson Peskov also added that President Putin has no plans to visit North Korea "in the near future."
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