S. Korean, US officials discuss possible visit to North Korea by Vladimir Putin

Officials in Seoul say they believe Russian president will visit North Korean capital Pyongyang in ‘few days’

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Senior South Korean and US officials on Friday discussed a possible trip to North Korea by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Seoul said it believes Putin will visit the capital Pyongyang in “a few days.”

Putin's trip “must not help enhance Pyongyang and Moscow's military cooperation, which violates UN Security Council resolutions and undermines regional peace and stability,” said Kim Hong-kyun, first vice foreign minister of South Korea.

He made the remarks during a phone call with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, who expressed Washington's “full support” for Seoul's position, South Korean KBS World TV reported.

Campbell said Washington "deeply sympathizes with concerns over regional instability and challenges," it said.

The two sides are preparing a “coordinated stern response to the North's provocations against the South or acts that serve to heighten tensions in the region.”

Reports suggest that Putin is planning to visit North Korea as well as Vietnam.

The Kremlin has neither denied nor confirmed the reports.

The North Korean leader paid a state visit to Russia last year, and relations have grown amid Moscow’s war on Ukraine since February 2022, which has drawn criticism from US-led Western nations.

Kaynak:

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