North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in Russia, Japanese media reported on Tuesday, for what the Kremlin said would be a comprehensive discussion with President Vladimir Putin amid warnings from Washington they should not agree on an arms deal.
Kim left Pyongyang for Russia on Sunday on his private train, the North's state media reported on Tuesday, accompanied by top arms industry and military officials and the foreign minister.
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. North Korea's KCNA state news agency said Kim was accompanied by leading officials of the ruling Workers' Party, government and armed forces.
Photos released by state media showed military honour guards and crowds of people in dark suits and colourful dresses waving flowers and flags as Kim boarded the dark-green train, which is believed to be armoured and carry other specialised equipment. "We, of course, have aggressively enforced our sanctions against entities that fund Russia's war effort, and we will continue to enforce those sanctions and will not hesitate to impose new sanctions appropriately," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.