Third Summit Between North Korea and Russia
Kim Jong Un: "Brotherly Duty... Will Do Everything for Russia"
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed the friendly relationship between North Korea and Russia through a bilateral summit in Beijing, China.
According to TASS and the Associated Press on September 3, the two leaders held an official meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in downtown Beijing after attending a Victory Day celebration banquet. The Kremlin announced via social media that after the reception, the two leaders traveled together in the same vehicle to the venue for their talks. This North Korea-Russia summit marks the third such meeting, following the one in Russia's Far East in September 2023 and another in Pyongyang in June 2024.
Before the meeting, President Putin told reporters that he highly appreciated the courage and dedication shown by North Korean troops in stopping the Ukrainian military's incursion in Russia's Kursk border region. He said, "Under Chairman Kim's leadership, North Korean troops helped liberate Kursk Oblast," and added, "Russia will never forget the North Korean soldiers who fought bravely." He further stated, "I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss our bilateral relationship on all levels."
Since last year, North Korea has reportedly dispatched about 15,000 troops to Russia and provided large-scale military equipment, including ballistic missiles and artillery shells.
In his opening remarks, Chairman Kim emphasized that cooperation between North Korea and Russia has deepened since the signing of the strategic partnership agreement at the summit held in Pyongyang in June last year.
Although he did not directly mention the war, Kim stated, "If there is anything I can do for Russia and the Russian people, I accept it as a brotherly duty and a responsibility that I must bear," adding, "I am ready to do everything possible to help Russia."
Earlier that day, Chairman Kim and President Putin attended the Victory Day military parade held at Tiananmen in Beijing. Together with President Xi Jinping, Kim and Putin stood on the rostrum, with President Xi in the center and the two leaders on either side. This was the first time in 66 years, since the North Korea-Soviet Union-China summit in Beijing in September 1959, that the top leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia appeared together in an official setting, and the first time since the end of the Cold War.
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