North Koriean Leader Visits Russia
There have been a lot of meetings between world leaders lately. There were global summits in Brazil, Kenya, Indonesia, and India. Two top officials weren’t at any of those meetings, though. They are Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. On September 13, Kim visited Putin in Russia. Kim and Putin’s countries are similar in a lot of ways. For one, the two countries are more closed off from the rest of the world. The two leaders also hold a lot of control over their nations. Their countries even share a small border in Asia. (Check the Slide Show for a map.) Russia and North Korea both have tensions with other countries right now. One big issue is the war in Ukraine. Russia invaded that country in 2022, and fighting has continued ever since. Many world leaders have supported Ukraine in the war — sending weapons and supplies to help. Meanwhile, North Korea has been testing missiles in recent years. World leaders have watched these tests with worry. They don’t want Kim to use these weapons on other nations. People around the world wondered what would happen with Kim and Putin. Reporters were there to see how the two leaders greeted each other. This big meeting happened at a spaceport in eastern Russia. The leaders appeared to be very friendly toward each other as they looked at the equipment on-site. This is the second time that they have spoken face-to-face. The two later shared dinner after talking about issues around the world. Kim and Putin talked about how they could work together on their militaries. Kim promised Putin his full support — and may choose to send some weapons to Russia to help in the fighting against Ukraine. Kim will tour other areas of Russia before going back home to North Korea. Experts around the world will continue to watch this situation.