(Moscow) North Koreans and Russians will sign “important documents” on the occasion of Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Kremlin told Russian media on Monday, which even mentioned the possible signing of a “strategic partnership” agreement.

The Russian president will arrive late Tuesday evening in Pyongyang, but the entire official program is planned for the next day, according to the Russian president’s diplomatic adviser, Yuri Ushakov.

“Important, very significant documents” will be signed, he said, even mentioning “the possible conclusion of a global strategic partnership agreement”.

“This treaty, if signed, will of course be conditioned by the profound evolution of the geopolitical situation in the world and in the region and by the qualitative changes that have recently taken place in our bilateral relations,” he said. he noted according to Russian press agencies.

“The parties are still working on it and a decision on his signing will be made in the coming hours,” he added.

According to the same source, Mr. Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will also make “statements to the press.”

Mr. Putin will be accompanied in particular by his head of diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, and his Minister of Defense, Andreï Beloussov. The delegation will also include two deputy prime ministers and the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

The two countries, under extensive international sanctions, have considerably strengthened their ties since the start of the Russian assault on Ukraine in February 2022.

“At the invitation of Kim Jong-un […], Vladimir Putin will pay a friendly state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on June 18 and 19, 2024,” the Kremlin announced in a statement. Information immediately confirmed by North Korea through its official KCNA news agency.

The Russian president will then visit Vietnam, another partner of Russia from the Soviet era, on June 19 and 20.  

The trip comes nine months after Putin hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Russia’s Far East, a visit in which both men praised each other but did not conclude , officially at least, in agreement.

According to the West, Pyongyang has drawn on its vast stocks of munitions to massively supply Russia and the Pentagon last week accused Moscow of using North Korean ballistic missiles in Ukraine.

In exchange, according to Washington and Seoul, Russia provided North Korea with expertise for its satellite program and sent aid to deal with the country’s food shortages.

Kim Jong-un touted Wednesday ahead of the Russian leader’s visit the “unwavering brothers-in-arms” ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, which date back to Soviet times.

During his trip to Russia in September 2023, he had already declared that ties between North Korea and Moscow were his country’s “number one priority.”

Vladimir Putin presents his assault on Ukraine and his diplomatic efforts as a battle to fight American hegemony on the international stage, and prides himself on the support of the Chinese giant.

The itinerary for the Russian president’s visit to North Korea was not immediately released. The two countries have a common land border, which the North Korean leader crossed last year by train.

This is the second visit to North Korea by the Russian leader, who last went there almost a quarter of a century ago, shortly after he came to power, to meet with the father of Kim Jong-un, Kim Jong-il.

Mr Putin, wanted by the International Criminal Court for “illegal” deportations of Ukrainian children and treated as a pariah by the West, has severely limited his foreign travel.

Ahead of his visit to North Korea, several senior Russian officials, including the head of foreign intelligence services Sergei Naryshkin, made a trip to Pyongyang. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui was in Moscow in January

In March, Russia used its veto at the UN Security Council to end monitoring of international sanctions violations targeting North Korea, a major gift to Pyongyang.

Analysts have also warned against nuclear-armed North Korea’s intensifying testing and production of artillery and cruise missiles for future arms deliveries to Russia. intended for its assault in Ukraine.

South Korea said Thursday it was “closely monitoring preparations” for Vladimir Putin’s visit to its neighbor, calling on Moscow to “contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula while respecting Security Council resolutions.” of ONU.

Seoul has provided significant military aid to Ukraine, where South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol visited last month, and is taking part in Western sanctions against Moscow.