North Korea celebrates 75th anniversary with military parade amid discussion of Russian weapons deal

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North Korea celebrated the anniversary of its founding on Saturday, marking 75 years since the establishment of the regime. 

A military parade took place at Kim Il Sung Square, overseen by supreme leader Kim Jong Un and his young daughter, Jun-ae. 

Platoons of soldiers marched down the streets of Pyongyang, joined by lines of military, civilian, and agricultural vehicles.

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In this photo provided Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, by the North Korean government, North Korean flag is seen at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, in the celebration of North Korea’s 75th founding anniversary, Friday, Sept. 8. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency.  ((Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP))

A political delegation from the People’s Republic of China, led by Chinese Communist Party Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, was also in attendance. 

A Russian military music ensemble took part in the festivities, but an official political delegation did not participate. 

It is currently being speculated whether Kim Jong Un is planning a rare state visit to Russia.

The New York Times reported Monday that Kim plans to meet with Putin while both leaders attend the Eastern Economic Forum at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia. The forum, which encourages international investment in Russia’s Far East, is scheduled to run Sept. 10-13. 

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This photo provided Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, by the North Korean government shows the  paramilitary parade, marking North Korea’s 75th founding anniversary at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, Sept. 8. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) ((Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP))

Putin wants North Korea to supply Russia with artillery shells and antitank missiles. In exchange, Kim wants Russia to give North Korea advanced technology for satellites and nuclear-powered submarines, sources told The New York Times. Additionally, Kim wants food aid for his starving nation.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan threatened retaliation if the two world leaders strike a weapons deal during a press briefing.

“[This] is not going to reflect well on North Korea and they will pay a price for this in the international community,” Sullivan said. “We will continue to call on North Korea to abide by its public commitments not to supply weapons to Russia that will end up killing Ukrainians.”

In this photo provided Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023, by the North Korean government, North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, right, with his daughter, left, attends a paramilitary parade ceremony marking North Korea’s 75th founding anniversary in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, Sept. 8. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency.  ((Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP))

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In a statement, the White House acknowledged that the U.S. expects “leader-level diplomatic engagement” on the potential arms deal to take place in Russia.

“We urge the D.P.R.K. to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia,” an NSC spokeswoman told the Times. 

Russian officials visited North Korea recently and likely established communications for high-level talks regarding the provision of weapons, U.S. intelligence reports.

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.

Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi and can email him at timothy.nerozzi@fox.com