Touching down in Pyongyang fires the starting gun on
what has been dubbed a “friendly” state visit to North Korea.
It is now past 3am on
Wednesday there, so the official welcoming ceremony is expected
to take place later on Thursday.
After that, we
understand bilateral talks between delegates, Putin and the North Korean
leader Kim Jong-un will take place, followed by an official signing ceremony to
highlight the two countries’ new “comprehensive strategic partnership” and
joint statements from the leaders.
A wreath-laying ceremony, gala concert and
official dinner are expected later in the day.
The visit is significant
for two main reasons: firstly, it’s rare – it is only Putin’s second trip to
North Korea as Russian leader – the first was in 2000 at the beginning of his
time in office when Kim Jong Il was still supreme leader.
But the backdrop
couldn’t be more different now.
Then, Russia was coming in from the cold; now,
Russia is isolated from the West and widely sanctioned over its “special
military operation” in Ukraine. Russia and Korea-watchers seem to agree
that Moscow’s main reason for the trip is to bolster Russia’s military
supplies to feed its war effort.
More widely, Russia is
looking for new friends (convenient or otherwise) – and closer ties with a
country for which there is a common enemy, the US and the “Collective
West” as Putin dubs them, which seems to work in both countries’ favour.
Emily Foster is a globe-trotting journalist based in the UK. Her articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
