As Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea, his visit underscored the vital role North Korea plays in supplying arms to Russia in its war with Ukraine.
Putin was given a red-carpet welcome by Kim Jong Un when he touched down on the tarmac before dawn. And the North Korean leader was there to wave him off when he departed.
The most significant development of the trip was the signing of an accord in which Putin and Kim agreed to support each other if either country was dealing with “aggression.”
Kim said he fully supports Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and also called Russia North Korea’s “most honest friend.”
Putin described their meeting as a “breakthrough,” and thanked Kim for his “consistent and unwavering support for Russian policy, including in the Ukrainian direction.”
During his visit Putin was treated to a lavish formal ceremony featuring singing children, military walks and a parade through the streets, with a state reception and gala concert later in the day.
Fighting Updates, Day 846
At least two people were injured and residential buildings were damaged in Ukraine’s western region of Lviv after a wave of Russian drone attacks targeted energy infrastructure over six regions of the country. The air force said it destroyed 19 out of 21 drones launched by Russia.
Ukraine’s military said Russian forces had “intensified” their assaults near Toretsk on the front line in the eastern Donetsk region and had “launched five assault operations at once,” targeting surrounding towns and villages. The Russian Ministry of Defense said its forces had “improved” their positions around Toretsk, which had a population of about 32,000 people before the war.
Rostov regional governor Vasily Golubev said a fire caused by a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil terminal in southern Russia continued into a second day despite firefighters’ efforts to extinguish the flames. The facility was struck on Tuesday.
Viktoriia Litvinova, Ukraine’s Deputy Prosecutor General, said the country had created a national registry to document cases of sexual violence allegedly committed by Russian forces. Litvinova told The Associated Press news agency that 303 cases of conflict-related sexual violence had been registered since Russia began its full-scale invasion, with 191 cases involving women and 112 involving men.
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Following North Korea, Putin travelled to Vietnam. In an opinion piece to coincide with the visit, Putin applauded Hanoi for supporting “a pragmatic way to solve the crisis” in Ukraine. Vietnam has not condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but has built alliances with the United States, its biggest export market, and the European Union.
Weapons Supply News
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior Ukrainian presidential aide, said North Korea was “actively cooperating” with Russia militarily, and called for greater international isolation of both countries. “There is no doubt that North Korea … deliberately provides resources for the mass murder of Ukrainians,” he told the AFP news agency. United Nations sanctions monitors, in their last report before Russia blocked the renewal of their mandate, said North Korean missile fragments had been found in Kharkiv.
In a Dallas warehouse, the Pentagon’s first major arms plant set up since Russia’s Ukraine invasion, sees Turkish workers, using robots and lathes from Istanbul-based defense firm Repkon, manufacturing 30,000 steel shells monthly for the 155-millimeter howitzers crucial for Kyiv’s defense.
Ukraine fired 4,000 to 7,000 shells daily in 2023, but political disputes delayed Pentagon shipments until April’s $61 billion aid package. To meet demand, the Pentagon aims for 100,000 shells monthly by 2025. Scranton, Wilkes-Barre make 36,000 and this new factory, General Dynamics in Mesquite, is set for 30,000 a month at full capacity. This target represents a nearly tenfold production increase.
Compiled by Ana Dumbadze
