Putin hints that Russia could help North Korea develop its satellite program

Kim emphasizes that Pyongyang supports "all decisions" of Moscow and calls for "fighting imperialism"

MADRID, 13 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has hinted that Moscow could help North Korea in its satellite development program, after two failed launches this year, within the framework of a meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, in the Vostochny Cosmodrome.

"That's why we came here. The leader of North Korea has great interest in rocket technology, they are trying to achieve development in space," Putin explained, after being asked if Russia will help Pyongyang in this task.

"This time we agreed to meet at the Vostochny cosmodrome. We are proud of how this industry is developing here," said Putin, adding that the two will talk "about all issues." "Slowly. There is time," he argued, after being questioned about whether they will address cooperation at a military and technical level between both countries.

The president has been very pleased to receive Kim in Russia and has announced that during their meeting "it is necessary to talk about issues of economic cooperation, issues of a humanitarian nature and the situation in the region," according to the TASS news agency. .

For his part, Kim left a message in the book of honor at the cosmodrome in which he highlighted that "the glory of Russia as the country with the first explorers in space will never be erased", after what he declared before the press that Pyongyang supports "all decisions" of Putin.

"Now Russia has risen to defend its sovereignty and security. We want to develop our relations. We have always supported and we support all the decisions of Putin and the Russian Government," indicated the leader of North Korea, as reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.

"I hope that we will always be together in the fight against imperialism and in the construction of a sovereign State," he said, while emphasizing that the friendship between both countries has "deep roots."

In this sense, he explained that for North Korea "the main priority is relations with Russia", before recalling that the Soviet Union played a great role in the formation and construction of North Korea's independence.

The meeting is the second between Putin and Kim after the one held in 2019. In this sense, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zajarova, has maintained that bilateral relations "have returned to the path prior to the coronavirus pandemic."

"I would like to emphasize again that our contacts develop, literally, on a daily basis in various areas," said Zajarova, who noted that "she understands that every summit creates interest, especially when it comes to a country in a region that , unfortunately, has problems."

"These are serious, long-term problems," he argued, before noting that Russia has adopted an active position to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula, before highlighting that "regarding the results of the summit, we must wait for start and then analyze them.