Russian President Vladimir Putin / TASS·Yonhap News
It appears that a visit to North Korea by Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to take place before the March presidential election.
Yonhap News reported on the 23rd that the Kremlin said the likelihood of Putin’s visit to North Korea before March is minimal.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked on the “Shot” Telegram channel when asked if such a trip could happen before the election set for March 15 to 17, saying that these are more long-term plans. He then clarified in response to similar questions, ‘No, there is no such plan.’
Peskov added, “When the schedule is agreed upon the president will take advantage of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s invitation to visit.”
On the other hand, talks with nearby pro-Russian countries are expected to take place shortly. Regarding the possibility of President Putin visiting Turkiye before the presidential election, he said, “We are currently discussing based on the fact that the visit can take place even before the election.” He also announced that he plans to meet with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko this week.
Previously, Putin accepted an invitation from North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un to visit North Korea after a summit meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East in September last year. The Kremlin announced on the 19th that the dates for such a visit were still being discussed through diplomatic channels and would be announced later.
It appears that discussions related to Putin’s visit to North Korea took place when North Korean Foreign Minister Choi Son-hui visited Russia from the 14th to the 18th. On the 21st, the North Korean state-run radio Korean Central Broadcasting reported that Putin expressed his “willingness to visit the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at an early date” during a meeting with Foreign Minister Choi.
By. Sung Jin Kwon
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