Moscow

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un has boarded a private train to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The visit has raised concerns in Western countries, as it is feared that the two countries may sign a significant deal on the purchase of arms in a secret meeting.

Kim’s delegation likely includes his foreign minister, Choe Sun Hui, and Korean People’s Army Marshals Ri Pyong Chol and Pak Jong Chon. A group of senior officials was at the station to bid a “heartfelt farewell” to the leader. US officials released intelligence last week that North Korea and Russia were arranging a meeting between their leaders, which could take place this month.

The likely venue of the meeting is Vladivostok, a city in eastern Russia, where Putin arrived on Monday to attend an international event. In 2019, Putin met Kim for the first time at this place. A statement on Russia’s presidential office’s website, the Kremlin, said Kim would visit at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin and that the visit would take place “in the coming days. North Korea’s official news agency, ‘KCNA’, reported that Kim Jong Un will meet Putin during his visit.