NEWS ANALYSIS: Vladimir Putin set to meet Kim Jong-un for the first time
The Russian and North Korean leaders are being coy about what will be discussed, but it is believed that Kim will look for a loosening UN sanctions
Seoul — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time this week at a symbolic summit hoping to project himself as a serious world player, but likely to come away without the relief he seeks from crushing sanctions. After his second summit with US President Donald Trump ended without an agreement two months ago, Kim’s meeting with Putin serves as a reminder to Washington that he has other options in the region backing his leadership. But while Kim is likely to seek more assistance from one of his country’s two main backers, Russia will be limited in what it can provide and the summit will focus more on demonstrating camaraderie than new investment or aid, analysts said. “When Kim meets Putin, he is going to ask for economic assistance and unilateral sanctions relaxation. Moscow is unlikely to grant his wishes,” said Artyom Lukin, a professor at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok. That school’s campus is likely to be the ...
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