Vladimir Putin brutally mocked after being left begging Kim Jong-un for help after Ukraine humiliation
Kim Jong un (left) arriving in Russia and Vladimir Putin (right)
REUTERS
Vladimir Putin has been brutally mocked after appearing to beg Kim Jong-un for munitions to assist his invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian President is meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Vladivostok today and is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum.
However, Putin’s efforts to obtain support from Kim have been met with scepticism across the West.
US General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, claimed Moscow approached Pyongyang with a “tin cup in hand asking for weapons, munitions and support”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
REUTERSPutin is thought to be seeking to obtain ammunition to bolster Russia’s artillery.
Pentagon officials believe Russia could offer weapons technology to assist North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes in return.
“Now, because of the war in Ukraine, Russia is having all kinds of challenges and one of their challenges is in munitions,” General Milley told ABC News.
The 65-year-old, who was appointed to his position by ex-President Donald Trump, continued: “He'll probably get something.
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley
REUTERS
Milley added: “But I don't know that they're gonna get so much that it'll make a substantive difference.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Kim’s visit would enable negotiations between two delegations and even enable the two leaders to hold face-to-face discussions.
The US State Department has since pointed out how any transfer of arms between Moscow and Pyongyang violates Security Council resolutions.
A potential arms deal between Moscow and Pyongyang comes after a Kremlin-installed official admitted Ukraine was making inroads in the city of Bakhmut.
Vladimir Rogov, a member of Zaporizhzhia’s regional government, wrote on Telegram: “In the [Bakhmut] direction he has tactical success. The fighting here is very, very heavy.”
Prolonged fighting between Putin’s troops and the ex-Soviet state also appears to have led Moscow to revamp its own air defences.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence noted that SA-22 defence systems have been “positioned on elevated towers and ramps”.
The MoD’s intelligence update added: “It is probably also intended to act as a high-profile reassurance to the public that the authorities have the threat under control.”