North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday for talks with President Vladimir Putin on trade, cultural exchanges and “sensitive spheres, which should not be publicly revealed,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian state media Tuesday.
That likely translates into weapons and ammunition deals Moscow desperately needs to continue its stalled invasion of Ukraine.
Peskov said Kim’s heavily armored train rolled into Russia on Tuesday. The talks will take place at an undisclosed time at an undisclosed site in eastern Russia, and no press briefings are planned before or after the discussions, he said.
Peskov said Russia was ready to discuss U.N. Security Council trade, banking, scientific and technical sanctions against North Korea. He also said the Kremlin was not interested in White House warnings to North Korea against selling arms to Russia, saying Kim and Putin “will be guided by the interests of our two countries.”
Kim Jong Un to meet Putin:North Korea leader hops on his bulletproof, drab green train for meeting with Putin
Developments:
∎ Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is calling for an investigation after Elon Musk reportedly blocked Ukraine’s access to SpaceX’s Starlink satellite to prevent an attack on Russian warships, Bloomberg reported. Musk is one of several tech executives scheduled to meet with lawmakers Wednesday in Washington.
∎ Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vetoed a bill that would have allowed lawmakers to keep secret for one more year some of their assets. Zelenskyy wants immediate transparency, a crucial factor in Ukraine’s efforts to join the European Union.
A closer look at the train:Kim Jong Un’s train has heavy armor, great food and is really, really slow
No surprise: Putin-backed party wins big in ‘sham’ election
The United Russia party won legislative supermajorities in all four of Russia’s “new” regions illegally annexed by Russia as well as Crimea, seized by Russia in 2014, the Central Election Commission announced. United Russia strongly supports Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine officials and most Western countries dismissed the election as a sham and violation of international law. The State Department issued a statement ahead of the voting that described it as “nothing more than a propaganda exercise.” The European Union said it does not recognize the elections or the results.
“Russia’s political leadership and those involved in organizing them will face consequences of these illegal actions,” the EU statement said after the results were announced.
