VLADIMIR Putin and Kim Jong-un vowed to fight a “holy” battle against the West after talks and a lunch in honor of Kim Jong-un.
The North Korean leader told Putin that he is sure that the Russian army and people will triumph against “evil” in the two-hour meeting.
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The two dictators shook hands as they met for the first time since 2019. Credit: AFP
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The two are believed to have discussed a possible arms deal for Putin’s war in UkraineCredit: Reuters
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Kim appeared to be deep in thought as he began talks with Putin. Credits: AP
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The North Korean leader boarded his train back to the hermit countryCredit: EPA
The leaders are believed to have been in talks to break sanctions on the supply of arms to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kim was filmed waving goodbye as he left after the meeting and boarded his express train.
The pair followed up their discussions with a decadent Bond-villain-style banquet in honor of Kim Jong-Un.
Kim told Putin through a translator that he was sure the Russian army would triumph against “evil.”
Later, Putin toasted “to the future strengthening of cooperation and friendship between our countries.
“For the welfare and prosperity of our nations, for the health of the president and everyone present.”
Although the exact details of their talks are not known, Putin revealed that Kim had shown a special interest in the Russian space program.
Kim and Putin are not expected to talk until today, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said, and the North Korean dictator will return home soon.
Kim is thought to have planned to offer his old Soviet-era weapons to Vlad to help him fight in Ukraine.
The meal the two leaders shared on Wednesday reportedly included duck, fig and nectarine salad, followed by Russian “pelmeni” dumplings made from Kamchatka crab, followed by white carp soup and sea buckthorn sorbet.
For the main course, the presenters chose sturgeon with mushrooms and potatoes or marbled beef with grilled vegetables.
For dessert, they were offered red blueberries from the taiga with pine nuts and condensed milk.
The North Korean leader arrived at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in his armored train on Wednesday morning after crossing into Russia a day earlier.
Putin told Kim he was “very glad to see him,” while the North Korean despot thanked Putin for the invitation to Russia.
Speaking at the space base before their one-on-one talk, Putin told reporters that the two would discuss “all issues” at their meeting.
When asked if Russia would help Kim build a satellite, Putin replied: “That’s why we came here. The leader of the DPRK shows great interest in rocket engineering, they are also trying to develop space.”
North Korea has suffered setbacks in recent months as it tries to put a spy satellite into orbit – but has vowed to try a third time in October.
Kim’s space ambitions are likely linked to his efforts to develop more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to reach the US mainland because space-launch rockets share the same basic technology with those weapons, experts say.
Some analysts say Kim may also seek Russian help in developing ballistic missile and nuclear-powered submarines.
Still, it would take considerable time, resources, and technological improvements for a heavily sanctioned nation to build a fleet of at least a few submarines that could travel silently and launch attacks reliably.
The Sun previously reported that Putin was looking for “partners in destruction” after isolating himself from most of the world, and Russia expert Keir Giles said Moscow and its allies are “a coalition of countries that want to bring down the world order as we know it.”
He said: “If Russia decides now that it no longer has to be a party to the sanctions on North Korea that were supposed to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, then that is a big step forward in destabilizing the situation in the Far East.”
During their tour of the cosmodrome, Kim told Putin that Russia was waging a “holy” war with the West and that he would “always” support Putin.
“Russia has stood up in a holy struggle to protect its sovereignty and security … against hegemonic powers,” Kim told him.
“We will always support the decisions of President Putin and the Russian leadership… and we will be together in the fight against imperialism.”
Kim – who rarely leaves his country – is said to be willing to hand Putin artillery shells and anti-tank missiles in exchange for satellite and nuclear submarine technology.
The White House has warned that arms talks between North Korea and Russia are “actively progressing”.
In exchange for ammunition, North Korea is likely to want shipments of food and energy and the transfer of sophisticated weapons technology.
It’s unclear how far Kim and Putin’s military cooperation might go – but any sign of warming relations will worry rivals like the US and South Korea.
The meeting between the two tyrants came just an hour after North Korea fired two ballistic missiles at its east coast.
It appeared to be the first launch to take place while Kim was abroad on a rare trip with most of his top military leaders.
The missiles were fired from near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and flew about 404 miles, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
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Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, right, and Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov also attended the meetingCredit: AP
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The couple visited the Vostochny Cosmodrome before the talks Credit: EPA
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Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of the North Korean leader, was also presentCredit: AP
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Kim Jong-un exits his armored train as he arrives in RussiaCredit: AP
Kim arrived in the country late on Tuesday in his bulletproof armored train, along with his sister Kim Yo Jong – who also wields a lot of power in the North Korean regime.
His sister was seen beaming as her brother met the Russian president and is even rumored to be next in line to rule the country.
The dictator was photographed upon his arrival in Vladivostok surrounded by guards with briefcases while the Russian minister shook his hand.
International relations expert Sergey Radchenko told The Sun yesterday: “The question is whether North Korea is sending weapons to Russia.
“If it happens, it would be a relatively important development, with implications for the war in Ukraine.”
Russia’s Mad Vlad has a collection of terrifying superweapons as well as nearly 6,000 nuclear warheads at his disposal.
Kim-Jong Un’s most formidable weapon is probably the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, which was launched earlier this year.
As the meeting began this morning, Ukraine launched a deadly attack on the Russian fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea.
And while Putin and Kim sat at the negotiating table, Russia announced a separate visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Moscow.
On September 18, he will visit the capital of Russia, where he will talk with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.
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The leaders walked around the spaceport together before leaving for private talks Credit: AP
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Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during the meeting in Tsiolkovsky Credit: AP
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Putin and Kim inspect the Soyuz rocket launch pad during the meeting Credit: AP
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Putin and Kim met for unprecedented talks Credit: Getty
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They met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region of the Far East Credit: Reuters
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