Russian President Vladimir Putin recently held talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, extending his appreciation for Pyongyang’s ongoing backing of Moscow’s military actions in Ukraine, state media reported.
Choe’s unscheduled journey to Russia—unassociated with any major global summit or national event—has sparked rumors that the visit could be laying the groundwork for a potential trip by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
North Korean outlets confirmed Choe departed for Moscow on Saturday following an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, though official details regarding the mission remain undisclosed.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry noted that it is keeping a close eye on the situation, though it declined to confirm if plans for another Putin-Kim meeting are being negotiated. Ministry spokesperson Yoon Min Ho refrained from offering additional details.
According to Russia’s Tass news agency, Putin highlighted the expanding partnership between both nations during their Kremlin meeting on Sunday, expressing his “gratitude to the North Korean leadership and people”
for their steadfast endorsement of Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine.
Tass further reported that Choe shared Kim’s dedication to the
“comprehensive development”
of diplomatic and strategic bonds between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Kim previously journeyed to Russia’s Far East to meet Putin in 2019 and 2023. During Putin’s reciprocal trip to Pyongyang in June 2024, the two heads of state executed a strategic partnership pact featuring a mutual defense clause against external aggression, after which Putin formally invited Kim back to Russia.
In recent years, North Korea has aligned itself tightly with Russia, reportedly deploying thousands of soldiers alongside vast weapon stockpiles to bolster Moscow’s forces. Experts suggest Pyongyang could be acquiring economic aid and advanced military hardware in exchange, enhancing its own defense systems.
Simultaneously, Kim has continued cultivating ties with Beijing. Recent high-level diplomatic efforts include a summit in Pyongyang with Chinese President Xi Jinping in June, alongside several top-tier meetings between senior officials earlier this month.
Choe’s trip to Moscow follows these intensive engagements with China. North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song, who manages national economic policy, recently conferred with Xi in Beijing, while Wang Huning, a prominent figure in the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee, visited Pyongyang for discussions with Kim.
Meanwhile, diplomatic channels involving North Korea, the United States, and South Korea remain stalled following the failed 2019 summit between Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Since the breakdown of those nuclear negotiations, Kim has ramped up the expansion of his nuclear and missile stockpiles, maintaining that Washington must drop its denuclearization demands before any talks resume.