Ukraine War: Kim Jong-un to visit Russia to discuss arms deal

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expects to make a rare trip abroad to meet with President Vladimir Putin in Russia to discuss providing arms to Moscow for its war in Ukraine, the United States said Monday.

Ukraine is pushing a highly-scrutinised counteroffensive in both the south and east that Putin on Monday dismissed as a failure, though Moscow appears eager to urgently secure more military supplies to bolster its forces.

The White House’s National Security Council (NSC) spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said that “arms negotiations between Russia and the DPRK are actively advancing,” using an acronym for North Korea.

“We have information that Kim Jong Un expects these discussions to continue, to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” she added.