President Putin Discusses Politics To The Economy With Kim Jong-un At Kumsusan Palace

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Source: Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/Gavriil Grigorov/TASS)

JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on economic and political issues at the Kumsusan Palace, Pyongyang, Thursday.

President Putin arrived in Pyongyang in the early hours of Thursday, at around 03.00 local time and was greeted directly by Leader Kim on the plane's stairs on the red carpet after landing at the airport, reported TASS June 19.

Russian President Yury Ushakov's aide said the visit was important for bilateral relations and further development of the two countries, "showing Russia supports equal dialogue and is open to cooperation with all countries."

"We thank them for their unwavering consistency and support for Russia's special military operations, we are grateful that Pyongyang recognizes the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics as well as the results of a referendum on the entry of the territory of the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye, and Kherson into the Russian Federation," Ushakov said.

He stressed that the two countries jointly maintain the formation of a multipolar world based on the principles of equality, respect for sovereignty, and non-intervention in domestic affairs. Most likely this issue will be discussed during informal communication between President Putin and Leader Kim.

This meeting is also considered to result in the signing of a joint document. Ushakov did not rule out one of them could be a new agreement on a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Russian Federation and the DPRK (the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea).

"This document is also being worked on," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, explaining the new document would replace the 1961 Friendship and Joint Assistance Agreement, the 2000 Friendship and Good Neighbors Cooperation Agreement, and the 2000 Declaration of Moscow and Pyongyang. 2000 and 2001.

Answering the question of whether the new document would involve cooperation in military-technical cooperation and military assistance, Ushakov noted "the document will outline the prospects for further cooperation and will be signed, of course, taking into account what has happened between the two countries in recent years in the field of international politics, both in the economic and in the field of relations in all lines, including taking into account security issues."

During today's meeting, President Putin was accompanied by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov to Kremlin spokesman Peskov and Ushakov himself. Leader Kim was accompanied by Prime Minister Kim Tok-hun, Foreign Minister Choei Son-hui, to Secretary of the Central Committee of the Jo Yong-won Party.

This is a state visit with the two heads of state holding a meeting in several formats.

Prior to today's visit, President Putin visited Pyongyang for the first time, namely in July 2000.