Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday. Putin said that Moscow would help North Korea launch satellites, and Kim Jong Un expressed his support for Russia in its “sacred fight” against the West.
The two leaders met at the spaceport, which is a symbol of Russia’s ambitions as a space power. North Korea has twice failed to launch reconnaissance satellites in the past four months, and Kim Jong Un has made it a top priority to launch a spy satellite.
Putin gave Kim Jong Un a tour of the facility, including the building where Russia’s new space launch rocket, the Angara, is assembled. The Angara is a 42.7-meter booster that can launch payloads into low Earth orbit.
Shortly before the summit, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from an area near the capital Pyongyang into the sea off its east coast.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the two countries will cooperate in “sensitive” areas, including military cooperation, but that this cooperation is not targeted at other countries.
The meeting between Putin and Kim Jong Un comes at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine. The two leaders have been exchanging messages of support for each other, and their meeting is seen as a sign of their growing alliance.
