Kremlin: "Putin Meets Choe Sonhui"
On the Same Day, Trump Says, "I Want to Meet North Korea"
As U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of a North Korea-U.S. summit, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 27th (local time).
Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, stated during a briefing that day, "President Putin will meet with Foreign Minister Choe at the Kremlin today," adding, "Foreign Minister Choe is currently visiting Moscow and holding talks with Minister Sergey Lavrov."
President Putin and Foreign Minister Choe previously met at the Kremlin on November 4 last year. Since the strengthening of North Korea-Russia relations, Foreign Minister Choe has received exceptional treatment, meeting President Putin every time she visits Russia. Typically, after holding talks with the Russian Foreign Minister, she has shared the details of their discussions with President Putin.
Foreign Minister Choe is expected to convey North Korea's stance on the remarks made by President Putin and President Trump regarding a North Korea-U.S. summit and to listen to their opinions.
During his tour of Asia, President Trump told reporters aboard his private plane, "Nothing has been decided yet, but if he (Kim Jong-un) wants to meet, I would like to meet," adding, "If he wants to meet, I will be in Korea."
Choe Son-hui, North Korea's Foreign Minister, departed Pyongyang on the 27th by a special plane to visit China, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 28th. Pyongyang Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap News Agency.
As President Trump is scheduled to visit Korea on October 29-30 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Gyeongju, and Foreign Minister Choe is carrying out an overseas schedule, some interpret this as reducing the likelihood of a North Korea-U.S. summit taking place.
Attention is also being paid to whether Foreign Minister Choe will discuss the timing of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Russia. After the North Korea-Russia summit in Pyongyang in June last year, President Putin invited Chairman Kim to visit Moscow, and he extended the invitation again when they met in China last September.
According to a video released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, at the start of her meeting with Minister Lavrov, Foreign Minister Choe assessed that the summit between the North Korean and Russian leaders, held in Beijing on September 3 during the 80th anniversary Victory Day parade, "elevated the comprehensive strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia to a new and higher level."
Foreign Minister Choe explained that, in celebration of North Korea's Liberation Day and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea, delegations from the Russian Security Council and United Russia Party visited North Korea, and that active dialogue and exchanges are underway in fields such as science, healthcare, and sports.
She went on to emphasize, "It is North Korea's foreign policy position to unwaveringly support the Russian leadership's policies in safeguarding national sovereignty, territorial security, and international justice, and to faithfully implement our treaties."
Having arrived in Moscow the previous day, she expressed her gratitude for being invited by Minister Lavrov to visit Russia in connection with her attendance at the Eurasian Security Conference to be held in Belarus on October 28-29.
Minister Lavrov, who visited Wonsan, North Korea in July and met with Chairman Kim and Foreign Minister Choe, said, "In the past three and a half months, Russia-North Korea relations have gained strong momentum in developing the basic agreements reached at the Pyongyang summit in June 2024."
He also stated, "We will never forget the heroic actions of North Korean troops who participated in the liberation of Kursk," and added, "I believe these actions further strengthen our Russia-North Korea relations," once again expressing gratitude for North Korea's deployment to Kursk.
Minister Lavrov further expressed his appreciation for North Korea's unwavering support for Russia's 'special military operation' policy in Ukraine.
He explained that, in this meeting, they would discuss mutual relations between North Korea and Russia, ways to cooperate in the international arena, and measures to be taken together in the future.
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