Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Moscow last September, is expected to visit Pyongyang this week, Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.
There is speculation that Putin could be on a two-day visit from Tuesday, the South Korean news agency reported. Moscow and Pyongyang, however, have yet to confirm the visit.
If realized, it will be Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang in the last 24 years. Putin last visited the North Korean capital in 2000 to meet with Kim Jong-il, father of Kim Jong-un.
The visit could coincide with a meeting of “two plus two senior Chinese and South Korean foreign and defense officials” in Seoul.
Russia and North Korea have strengthened ties in recent months. The United States and its allies accuse Pyongyang of supplying weapons to Moscow for its war against Ukraine.
