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Putin, Kim Jong Un’s meeting at spaceport ‘a clear message’ we should be concerned: Anthony D’Esposito
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., discusses the Biden impeachment inquiry announced by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un departed Russia after a six-day trip on Sunday, leaving with some explosive weaponry as gifts.
Kim met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a potential arms deal, though no agreement has yet been signed. Before Kim departed on his armored train, however, a regional Russian governor gifted him with five explosive “kamikaze” drones, a reconnaissance drone and a bulletproof vest, according to Russian state media.
North Korean state news agency KCNA described the trip as a “fervent and warm” meeting between the two countries. Russia is believed to be interested in an arms deal to refill its slimming supply of arms as its invasion of Ukraine continues.
The visit was Kim’s first official trip abroad since the coronavirus pandemic.
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North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un departed Russia after a six-day trip on Sunday, leaving with some explosive weaponry as gifts. (Getty)
Kim met directly with Putin early last week as the pair toured a space launch facility. Kim visited several sites in Russia’s far east during the trip and was later pictured touring a sanctioned fighter jet plant.
“We have shown one of our leading aircraft plants to the leader of [North Korea],” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said, according to The Associated Press. “We are seeing potential for cooperation in the aircraft-making and other industries, which is particularly acute for solving our countries’ task of achieving technological sovereignty.”
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The plant is part of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, an organization the U.S. has sanctioned as part of its response to the Ukraine war.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits an aircraft manufacturing plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, on Friday. (Courtesy Governor of Russia’s Khabarovsk Krai Mikhail Degtyarev Telegram Channel via )
North Korean media claimed that Putin has also accepted an invitation to visit North Korea in the near future, though the Kremlin has yet to confirm the agreement.
“At the end of the reception, Kim Jong Un courteously invited Putin to visit the DPRK at a convenient time,” KCNA claimed Thursday.
PUTIN HAS ‘ACCEPTED’ KIM JONG UN’S INVITE TO NORTH KOREA, STATE MEDIA SAYS
“Putin accepted the invitation with pleasure and reaffirmed his will to invariably carry forward the history and tradition of the Russia-DPRK friendship,” it added.
North Korea claims Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted an invitation to visit the country, though Moscow has yet to confirm that. (Gavriil Grigorov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
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Kim pledged North Korea’s full support for Russia’s “sacred struggle” in Ukraine during his in-person meeting with Putin. No formal arms deal has been reached, however, according to Moscow.
Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.