North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was shown nuclear-capable bombers as he arrived in the far east port of Vladivostok on his visit to Russia.
He also inspected the Admiral Shaposhnikov frigate of Russia’s Pacific fleet and was briefed by navy commander Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov on the ship’s capabilities and weapons, which include long-range Kalibr cruise missiles that Russian warships have regularly fired at targets in Ukraine.
Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Primorsky region, announced Mr Kim’s arrival in the city of Artyom – about 25 miles northeast of Vladivostok – before the visit to the airport where he was shown Russia’s nuclear-capable strategic bombers and other warplanes by Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and other military officials.
Mr Shoigu also showed off Russia’s latest missile, the hypersonic Kinzhal which is carried by the MiG-31 fighter jet.
After meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at Russia’s main spaceport, North Korea’s leader reappeared on Friday in the far eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur for a visit to a plant producing Russia’s Su-57 fighter jets.
Mr Kim’s plans to see Russian naval ships in Vladivostok could be another hint at what he wants from Russia, possibly in exchange for supplying munitions to refill Mr Putin’s declining reserves as his invasion of Ukraine becomes a drawn-out war of attrition.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said that during his visit to the aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Mr Kim expressed “sincere regard” for what he described as Russia’s rapidly advancing aviation technologies, which he said were “outpacing the outside potential threats”.
North Korean state media have been reporting Mr Kim’s activities in Russia a day late.
Russia’s cabinet released a video on Friday showing Mr Kim on an elevated platform looking at the cockpit of an Su-57 while listening to its pilot.
His top military officer, army Marshal Ri Pyong Chol, said his leader’s visit to the facility “added another glorious page” to the relations between the countries, KCNA said.
On Friday, Mr Putin reiterated that Russia would abide by UN sanctions, some of which ban North Korea from exporting or importing any weapons.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that no agreements on bilateral military cooperation were signed after the two leaders’ meeting on Wednesday.
