North Korea’s Kim Jong Un arrives in Russia amid U.S. warnings not to sell arms

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia, Japanese media reported on on September 12, for what the Kremlin said would be a comprehensive discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid warnings from Washington they should not agree on an arms deal.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied earlier U.S. accusations that they would be conducting arms deals, but the two countries have vowed to boost defence ties.

Kim left Pyongyang for Russia on September 10 on his private train, the North’s state media reported, accompanied by top arms industry and military officials and the foreign minister.

Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed Russian official source, that a train carrying Kim had arrived at Khasan station, the main rail gateway to Russia’s Far East from North Korea.

Putin was expected to arrive in Vladivostok on Tuesday, where he was scheduled to attend the main session of the Eastern Economic Forum, which runs through September 13.

His meetings with Kim were expected to be on the sidelines of the forum, although there has been no confirmation of the location or whether Kim would attend the event.