Putin 'Gratefully' Accepts Kim Invite To Visit North Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Amur region on September 13.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted Kim Jong Un's invitation to visit North Korea, stoking U.S. concerns that a revived Moscow-Pyongyang axis could bolster Russia's military in Ukraine and provide Kim sensitive missile technology. The invite was made during a summit in eastern Russia on September 13 at which they discussed military matters, the war in Ukraine, and helping North Korea's satellite program. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on September 14 that Putin "gratefully" accepted the invite and that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would travel to Pyongyang in October. Since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Putin has rarely travelled abroad. To read the original story by Reuters, click here.