Key events
Analysis
Justin McCurry
The number of countries prepared to afford Vladimir Putin the kind of reception he has received in North Korea has dwindled since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Now shunned by much of the world, the Russian leader nonetheless received the red-carpet treatment – and an embrace from his host, Kim Jong-un – in Pyongyang in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Today, though, the two leaders will be locked in talks on where next to take the deepening relationship between their countries – one necessitated by their growing diplomatic isolation.
Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy aide, told Russia’s Tass news agency that the summit could produce a treaty on a “comprehensive strategic partnership” – a document expected to accelerate and broaden cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.
Information about their second meeting in nine months is coming from Russian and North Korean state media – so details of the talks are unlikely to emerge until the ink has dried on rumoured deals on economic and security ties.
Kremlin and North Korean watchers believe those agreements will almost certainly mean more weapons and munitions from Pyongyang for the war in Ukraine. Putin could reciprocate with food and energy assistance, as well as help with the North’s space surveillance programme, but may stop short of sharing sensitive weapon technology.
Despite their defiant rhetoric targeting the US and its Western allies, analysts say Kim and Putin are unlikely to realise Washington’s worst fears and enter into an official, Nato-style military alliance requiring them to come to each other’s defence in the event of a conflict.
Instead, their joint declaration could call for “elevated” levels of military, security and economic cooperation, as both countries attempt to limit the impact of international sanctions.
North Korean state media said Kim and Putin voiced their “pent-up inmost thoughts” as they were driven through the “charmingly lit” streets of Pyongyang early this morning. By the end of the day, we should have a clearer idea of how far they are willing to go to act on their shared frustrations.
The official meeting ceremony between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin has begun in a square in Pyongyang, the Russian news wire Tass is reporting. Below you can see how the North Korean capital was preparing for the visit – we’ll bring you pics of the ceremony as soon as we get them.
A few more images from Pyongyang, where the streets were prepped in advance for Putin’s visit:
Mark Rutte expected to become next Nato leader
Dan Sabbagh
Mark Rutte, the outgoing Dutch prime minister, is expected to become the next head of Nato after winning over Hungary’s prime minister with a promise not to deploy Budapest’s forces or spend its money supporting Ukraine.
Viktor Orbán, the leader in Nato seen as closest to Russia, announced he had dropped his objections after discussions with Rutte, prompting the current secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, to declare that the selection process would end “very soon”.
On Tuesday afternoon, Orbán wrote on X that “Hungary is ready to support PM Rutte’s bid for Nato secretary general” and published a letter of reassurance he had received from the Dutch politician earlier that day.
In it, Rutte wrote to Orbán: “I am aware of the outcome of talks between Jens Stoltenberg [the current secretary-general] and you regarding Nato’s support for Ukraine. It is my understanding that you stressed that no Hungarian personnel would take part in these activities and no Hungarian funds will be used to support them.”
The Dutch leader, 57, added that he would respect the commitment given to Hungary, writing “in a possible future capacity as Nato secretary general, I will fully support this outcome of the talks” and added: “I look forward to our future engagement – whatever that might be.”
US soldier sentenced to almost four years in prison by Russian court, local media reports
Gordon Black, the US soldier who was arrested last month in the Russian city of Vladivostok on suspicion of theft and threats to kill his girlfriend, has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison, the Russian news agency Tass reports.
A bit more analysis here from Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, who has told the AFP news agency that Putin’s visit is a way for him to thank North Korea “for acting as an ‘arsenal for autocracy’ in support of his illegal invasion of Ukraine.”
The fact that Russia’s leader has come to the North is also “politically important because it allows Pyongyang’s propaganda to portray Kim as a world leader,” he said, continuing:
Moscow and Pyongyang will likely continue to deny violations of international law but have notably shifted from hiding their illicit activities to flaunting their cooperation.
Easley noted that any transfers of “sensitive military technologies to Pyongyang would not only violate UN sanctions but could also destabilise the Korean Peninsula and East Asia.
As Putin arrived in Pyongyang, US and Nato officials voiced concern about what aid Russia might be giving to North Korea and the implications for security on the Korean peninsula.
At a joint press briefing with US secretary of state Antony Blinken, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said:
We are of course also concerned about the potential support that Russia provides to North Korea when it comes to supporting their missile and nuclear programs.
Separately, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told a news briefing that deepening Russia-North Korea cooperation was “a trend that should be of great concern to anyone interested in maintaining peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.”
The top US arms control official, under secretary of state Bonnie Jenkins, has said she believes North Korea is keen to acquire fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies from Russia.
Blinken meanwhile said Putin’s Pyongyang trip was a sign of his “desperation” to strengthen relations with countries that can support his war in Ukraine.
Prosecutors have asked for a prison sentence of four years and eight months for a US soldier who has been detained in the Russian city of Vladivostok on suspicion of theft and threats to kill his girlfriend, Reuters reports citing Russian agencies:
Gordon Black, who was detained on 2 May in Vladivostok in Russia’s far east, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of threatening to kill his girlfriend but admitted he was “partially” guilty of stealing from her.
“(We ask) to impose a sentence of four years and eight months, to be served in a penal colony,” Russia’s Ria state news agency cited the prosecutor as saying at the court hearing.
The prosecutor has also asked for a fine of 40,000 roubles ($469), RIA reported. Black’s defence lawyer has asked the court to acquit him of all of the charges, Ria reported.
Earlier, Ria reported that Black “partially” acknowledged his guilt on the charge of stealing 10,000 roubles ($113) from his girlfriend Alexandra Vashchuk’s purse but said that “there was no intent”.
The pair had met in South Korea, where Black was stationed. The Pentagon has said that he broke army rules by travelling to Russia without authorisation, having passed through China.
Kim and Putin will spend almost the entire day “at the negotiating table in various formats”, Russian news agency Tass reports. It quotes Putin aide Yury Ushakov as saying that the trip shows Russia is open to cooperation with all countries “despite all attempts of collective the west to put pressure on us.””
Ushakov “drew special attention to the fact that Korean friends show an understanding of the real causes and essence of the Ukrainian crisis,” Tass continued, writing: “Moscow appreciates this”.
The negotiations will pay “significant attention” to the international agenda, Tass wrote, adding:
It is important that the approaches of the two countries to current foreign policy problems are very close or completely coincide.
Several joint documents are set to be signed and Ushakov did not rule out that one of them could be a new comprehensive strategic partnership treaty, replacing previous agreements dating from 1961, 2000 and 2001, and which would broaden cooperation, Tass reported.
Asked whether the document would include military-technical cooperation and military assistance, Ushakov reportedly answered:
It will outline the prospects for further cooperation and will be signed, naturally, taking into account what has happened between the countries in recent years in the field of international politics, both in the economic sphere and in the sphere of relations along all lines, including taking into account security issues..
In an analysis of what North Korea wants from Putin’s visit, Rachel Minyoung Lee, a senior fellow at 38 North, a Washington-based think tank focusing on North Korea, suggests the country may have longer-term economic goals in sight. She writes:
It is almost certainly not a coincidence that since June 2023, just as North Korea was aligning itself more closely with Russia, there has been a significant uptick in state media coverage of moves by BRICs and Russia to explore alternative economic arrangements that do not require the US dollar.
Historically, one of the main reasons North Korea has pursued improved relations with Washington was to broker sanctions relief and regain access to the international financial system.
If Pyongyang views Russia as a viable longer-term partner for improving its economy – as irrational as this may seem to some – there is even less of an incentive for it to try to improve relations with the United States.
Here are some of the best images that have come to us over the wires so far from Putin’s trip to Pyongyang:
Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang a ‘strong, strategic fortress’, North Korean media says
Pyongyang has hailed its relations with Moscow as a “strong, strategic fortress” as Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived on a state visit, his first trip to North Korea in almost 25 years.
State-run news wire KCNA said the relationship was “an engine for accelerating the building of a new multi-polar world,” and demonstrated “invincibility and durability”.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un greeted Putin at the airport in the early hours of Wednesday morning, and rode with him in a motorcade to his accommodation, KCNA reported.
It said that on the journey the pair “exchanged their pent-up inmost thoughts and opened their minds” to how they could further develop their relationship.
Wednesday’s agenda includes further one-on-one discussions between the two leaders, as well as a gala concert, state reception, honour guards, document signings and a statement to the media, Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov as saying.
Ties between the neighbours have deepened since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Pyongyang believed to have provided weapons in return for food and energy aid as well as support with its space and missile programmes.
Russia and North Korea have denied striking any agreement on weapons transfers during a trip by Kim to Russia last year.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the war in Ukraine and today’s visit by Vladimir Putin to North Korea, where he is expected to seek further military support.
Relations between North Korea and Russia have “emerged as a strong strategic fortress” at a “crucial time”, North Korean state media has said as the Russian president arrived in Pyongyang for his first visit since 2000.
Putin was greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the early hours of Wednesday morning “in an exciting atmosphere”, KCNA news wire reported in typically flowery language. Kim then escorted Putin to his accommodation.
Ties between the two countries have strengthened significantly since Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Kim believed to have supplied arms to Russia in return for food and energy aid and help with his country’s space programme.
Here are the key developments:
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Putin praised North Korea for “firmly supporting” Moscow’s war in Ukraine, in an article published in the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers’ party, on Tuesday. “We highly appreciate that [North Korea] is firmly supporting the special military operations of Russia being conducted in Ukraine,” the Russian leader wrote.
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The Russian leader also commended Kim for defying UN security council sanctions – measures that were supported by Moscow until recently – targeting his regime’s nuclear ambitions. Pyongyang had defended its interests “very effectively, despite the US economic pressure, provocation, blackmail and military threats that have lasted for decades”, Putin wrote.
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The US voiced concern that the visit could have security implications for Ukraine and the Korean peninsula, which has been shaken in recent days by friction along the heavily armed border that has separated North from South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean war. “We know North Korean ballistic missiles are still being used to hit Ukrainian targets (and) there could be some reciprocity here that could affect security on the Korean peninsula,” the US national security council spokesperson, John Kirby, told reporters.
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Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said Putin’s trip showed he was “dependent” on authoritarian leaders. “Their closest friends and the biggest supporters of the Russian war effort – war of aggression – [are] North Korea, Iran and China,” he said.
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A Kazkah opposition figure and prominent blogger with more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube has been seriously wounded in an attempted killing in Kyiv. Aydos Sadykov, who was granted asylum in Ukraine in 2014, was shot near his home and taken to hospital in a “serious condition”, his wife, Natalia Sadykova, said.
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Ukrainian officials have already started preparatory work to organise a second peace summit, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said on Tuesday, after the first conference led by Ukraine was held last weekend in Switzerland. A summit hosted by Switzerland over the weekend saw over 90 countries attend, but Ukraine and its allies failed to persuade major non-aligned states to join their final statement, and no country came forward to host a sequel.
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Ukraine claimed responsibility for an overnight drone attack on an oil facility in Russia’s Rostov region that started a massive blaze in the latest long-range strike by Kyiv’s forces on a border region.
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Kyiv on Tuesday accused Russian forces of beheading a Ukrainian serviceman in the eastern Donetsk region, the latest allegation of abuse levied by Ukrainian prosecutors against Moscow. “While conducting aerial reconnaissance at one of the combat positions in the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military discovered a damaged armoured vehicle of the Ukrainian Defence Forces. It contained the severed head of a Ukrainian defender,” the office of Ukraine’s prosecutor general posted on social media.
