Making a rare foreign trip and his first since the pandemic, an unsmiling Kim waved from the doorway of his heavily armoured private train as it departed Pyongyang on Sunday evening, according to images published by North Korean state media.
Kim will meet Putin at an unspecified location in Russia’s Far East region later this week, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Putin is currently attending the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Far East city closest to the North Korean border, though there has been no indication that the internationally isolated pair would hold their talks there.
Experts say Moscow will likely seek artillery shells and antitank missiles from North Korea, which wants advanced satellite and nuclear-powered submarine technology in return.
The White House warned last week that North Korea would “pay a price” if it supplies Russia with weaponry for the conflict in Ukraine.
Defying the warnings, Kim left North Korea for Russia on Sunday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
He was accompanied by top North Korean military officials, including officials in charge of weapons production and space technology, it added.
Peskov said the two leaders would “cooperate on sensitive areas that should not be the subject of public disclosure and announcements”.
KCNA images showed Kim’s being given a “warm send-off” complete with red carpet and honour guard at Pyongyang station at around 18h38 (0938 GMT).
On Tuesday, Russian state news agency Ria Novosti said Kim had crossed the border, with images showing the train with dark green carriages being pulled along a track by a Russian Railways locomotive.
