Vladimir Putin Praises ‘Dignity and Courage’ of North Korea
Russian strongman Vladimir Putin praised the “dignity and courage” of the communist regime of North Korea, one of the most repressive governments on Earth, in an article published in the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Tuesday.
Putin is expected to arrive in Pyongyang on Tuesday night after a brief stop in the far-east Russian city of Yakutsk. Moscow and Pyongyang both confirmed that Putin would visit the country on Monday, squeezing in a stop to meet dictator Kim Jong-un before a planned visit to communist Vietnam.
Reports in Russian state media indicate that Putin and Kim will engage in “intensive” discussions on trade and defense and that Putin is planning on signing a “comprehensive” agreement with North Korea on various issues. The reports did not offer any specificity on what the agreement would include.
North Korea has enjoyed friendly relations with Russia for years that have grown in the past two years in response to Kim Jong-un vocally supporting Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kim made his first trip outside the country to Russia, meeting with Putin, in September in the eastern city of Vladivostok and inviting him to Pyongyang.
“Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK [North Korea] friendship,” North Korean state media reported at the time. (Read more from “Vladimir Putin Praises ‘Dignity and Courage’ of North Korea” HERE)
