Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Putin and Kim’s one-on-one talks have ended after two hours of negotiations, Russian news agencies reported Wednesday.

The talks began with the participation of delegations from the two countries and continued one on one, lasting more than two hours, Interfax reported.

Putin and Kim will later take part in an official dinner that the Russian president is hosting in honor of Kim, the news agency said.

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said earlier that the leaders do not plan to sign any documents, including a joint declaration, after the talks.

Little is currently known about the content of the talks, least of all those conducted one to one.

When asked earlier by state media reporter Pavel Zarubin about Western allegations that there are active negotiations taking place on weapons supplies from North Korea to Russia and military technology flowing the other direction, Peskov said:

“The truth, first of all, is that North Korea is our close neighbor. And despite any “comments” or “shouts” from the outside, we will build relations with our neighbors in a way that is beneficial to us and beneficial to our neighbors,” he said.

“In any case, the full scope of relations implies dialogue and interaction in sensitive areas, such as military cooperation, exchange of opinions on the most pressing issues in the area of security, this will be done as well,” he added.

Peskov said “the rest of the questions are concerning our two countries, two sovereign countries and should not be a point of concern for the third states. Our cooperation is being conducted for the sake of the prosperity of our two countries and not against anyone else.”

When asked about continuing U.N. sanctions on North Korea (Russia is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council that has imposed sanctions on North Korea for its missile and nuclear program), Peskov said “Russia maintains its position in the United Nations and in the Security Council. But this cannot, should not and will not be an obstacle to the further development of Russian-North Korean relations.”

— Holly Ellyatt

Putin and Kim have praised their countries’ longstanding alliance as they met in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday.

Putin has promoted Russia’s longstanding alliance with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in a bit of a 20th-century history lesson on Soviet-North Korean relations.

Putin noted that the Soviet Union was the first state to recognize the DPRK “as the sole legitimate authority in all of Korea” in 1948.

He also noted that the USSR had helped the DPRK during the three-year Korean War that started in 1950. Given their shared Communist ideology, Soviet forces supported the Korean People’s Army during the war.

Kim, meanwhile, has praised bilateral ties with Russia, saying the relationship with Moscow is a priority for Pyongyang. He said Russia is now defending its sovereignty and that the DPRK has always supported decisions by the Russian Federation.

Having thanked Putin for inviting him to Russia, Kim said their talks can cover a variety of issues, from the economy to cultural ties. 

— Holly Ellyatt, Grigorii Chipurin

There’s a reason that Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny space rocket launch facility.

Russia will help North Korea build satellites, Putin said, as he and Kim met and prepared to hold talks on deepening economic, military and trade ties.

When asked whether Russia will help the DPRK build cosmic satellites, Putin replied that he and Kim had gone to the Vostochny space port for that reason.

“That’s why we came here. The leader of the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] shows great interest in rocket technology, they are trying to develop space,” Putin told reporters, according to news agency RIA Novosti.

Putin was also asked whether military-technical cooperation would be discussed at the talks.

“We will talk about all issues slowly. There is time,” Putin said.

The president also reportedly referenced Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s recent visit to North Korea, at which he was shown a variety of North Korean missiles, saying the trip had been a success.

 — Holly Ellyatt

Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of attacking a shipyard in Sevastopol in Russian-occupied Crimea overnight, claiming it had used 10 cruise missiles and three high-speed boats during the attack.

In a post on Telegram, the defense ministry said that seven cruise missiles were destroyed by Russia’s air defense systems and the boats were destroyed by a Russian patrol ship. 

“As a result of being hit by enemy cruise missiles, two ships under repair were damaged,” the ministry said.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, said 24 people had been injured in a fire caused by the attack. The fire was not at a civilian facility, he said.

CNBC could not independently verify the report and Ukraine has not commented on the incident.

The attack comes as global attention is on talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday.

 — Holly Ellyatt

Negotiations between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un have begun, Russian media agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday.

Talks are taking place at the Vostochny spaceport and will focus on bilateral cooperation, international issues and “sensitive” matters, the Kremlin said.

A RIA Novosti correspondent reported that the leaders will communicate with the participation of delegation members, and, if necessary, will continue to communicate face-to-face.

Putin, when asked what was planned to be discussed, said that he plans to talk about all issues slowly.

— Holly Ellyatt

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have arrived at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome for talks on Wednesday, Russian media reported.

Russian media showed the leaders greeting each other outside the space rocket launch venue around 1,000 miles from Vladivostok, where Kim initially arrived yesterday.

“Thank you for inviting us despite your busy schedule,” the North Korean leader told Putin, who reportedly replied that their meeting is taking place on dates that are significant for the DPRK, or Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s formal name.

“I am very glad to see you,” Putin said. “Moreover, there were such events: the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Republic, the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great War of Liberation, the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations,” he added, RIA Novosti reported.

Talks between the two leaders is expected to focus on bilateral cooperation, trade and economic ties as well as international affairs.

The thorny issue of arms is also expected to be on the agenda, Western officials believe; Russia wants to acquire weaponry for use in its war in Ukraine and North Korea wanting financial assistance and food, and potentially military technology, in return. Both countries deny they are engaging in arms negotiations, and the White House has repeated warnings that any deal will engender further sanctions.

Kim arrived in Russia’s Pacific coast port Vladivostok Tuesday before traveling onwards to the space rocket launch site in Russia’s far east in his customary armored train. RIA Novosti reported that a gangway with a red carpet was brought to Kim’s carriage, on either side of which stood the honor guard of the Eastern Military District with the flags of the two countries. Kim was greeted by Russian officials as he arrived.

— Holly Ellyatt

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles off its east coast, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Japanese Coast Guard said on Wednesday, just hours before leader Kim Jong Un was expected to meet President Vladimir Putin in Russia.

It was the first such launch to occur while Kim was abroad for a rare trip, analysts said.

No details on the size or range of the missiles were immediately available. But about five minutes after the first launch warning, Japan’s Coast Guard reported the missile had fallen into the sea.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that Japan had lodged a protest against North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing.

— Reuters

Pictures have emerged of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s arrival in Russia after he traveled by train to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The leader of North Korea arrived in Russia earlier Tuesday, according to Russian state media reports.

It was reported by the Associated Press that Kim Jong Un met with Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov upon his arrival in Khasan, which is around 79 miles (127 kilometers) south of Vladivostok and lies on the border between Russia and North Korea.

The photos were released by the governor of the Russian far eastern region of Primorsky Krai, Oleg Kozhemyako, via Telegram, AP reported.

— Hannah Ward-Glenton

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will participate in negotiations between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

A separate meeting of Russian and North Korean defense ministers is not expected during the visit of the country’s leader Kim Jong-un to Russia, Peskov added, RIA Novosti reported.

The presence of Shoigu is bound to fuel Western concern that the talks between Putin and Kim will focus on North Korea giving weaponry to Russia in return for food and financial aid, and possibly, military technology. Russia and North Korea insist they have not discussed arms deals.

— Holly Ellyatt

As the leaders of North Korea and Russia prepare to meet in Russia’s Far East, deepening military, economic and geopolitical cooperation is on the official agenda.

Behind closed doors, however, White House officials and political analysts believe the talks between Kim Yong Un and Vladimir Putin will focus on arms deals and military cooperation that could potentially take their relationship to another, more disconcerting, level.

There are concerns that Pyongyang could provide weaponry to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine, including millions of artillery shells, rockets, anti-tank missiles and small arms ammunition. There are also fears about what Moscow might offer the economically isolated and heavily sanctioned North Korea in return.

Any deal between the two powers is expected to go beyond weaponry, with experts noting that this burgeoning “transactional” relationship could see advanced military technology and intelligence shared with Pyongyang — which could enable it to further that nuclear program and weapons of mass destruction.

Russia and North Korea continue to deny any arms deals have taken place and the Kremlin said Tuesday morning that it’s not interested in Washington’s warnings over the forthcoming meeting.

Experts say there’s little the West can do to stop Russia and North Korea making “life difficult for the U.S. and its partners” given that it has “few efficacious tools with which to respond to the emerging axis.”

Read more on the story here: With Putin and Kim Jong Un set to meet, the West fears what Russia and North Korea are planning

— Holly Ellyatt

Russia dismissed warnings from the White House on Monday that any arms deal between Moscow and North Korea would trigger immediate further sanctions.

The White House has warned in recent weeks that arms negotiations between North Korea and Russia have been “actively advancing,” saying Moscow aims to buy weaponry from Pyongyang for use in the Ukraine war.

U.S. officials are sure that those arms talks will continue when North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in the coming days in Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East.

The U.S. repeated warnings to North Korea on Monday not to send arms to Russia, reiterating that any arms deal or military support for Russia’s war in Ukraine would directly violate a number of U.N. Security Council resolutions, such as the prohibition of all weapons trade with the country. It said it’s ready to impose more sanctions against North Korea if there is a deal.

The Kremlin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov dismissed the U.S.’ warnings, however, telling reporters that Moscow and Pyongyang are guided by the interests of bilateral relations and are not interested in “warnings from Washington,” state news agency Tass reported Tuesday.

“As you know, after all, realizing our relations with our neighbors, including North Korea, the interests of our two countries are important for us, and not warnings from Washington. It is the interests of our two countries that we will focus on,” Peskov said.

He noted that the Russian Federation is ready, if necessary, to discuss with the DPRK issues related to the sanctions of the UN Security Council.”

Peskov said the leaders would discuss issues of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Pyongyang as well as international affairs and “sensitive areas,” without giving further detail.

“First of all, of course, issues related to bilateral relations, bilateral cooperation, trade and economic ties, cultural exchanges will be discussed. Of course, there will be a rich exchange of views on the situation in the region and on international affairs in general, because this is of interest both to Putin and to our guest from Pyongyang,” Tass reported Peskov as saying.

— Holly Ellyatt