Kim Jong Un to meet with Putin to 'actively advance' arms deal negotiations, reports say

North Korea's Kim Jong Un is planning to visit Vladimir Putin for talks on supplying weapons for use in Ukraine.

The two countries are 'actively advancing' negotiations surrounding an arms deal, according to CNN.

Russia has been taking steps to strengthen its military ties with North Korea.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who traveled to Pyongyang last month, said on Monday that the two countries may hold joint war games.

US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson noted that Shoigu sought to persuade North Korea during his trip to sell artillery ammunition to Russia.

The US has reason to think North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un “expects these discussions to continue” and “to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia,” Ms Watson said on Monday.

Another US official, who was not authorised to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the US expects the North Korean leader will travel to Russia within the month.

The official said the US is not sure exactly where or when the meeting would take place, but the Pacific port city of Vladivostok would be a likely possibility given its relative proximity to North Korea.

The White House reported last week that it had intelligence indicating that Putin and Kim swapped letters following Shoigu's visit.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the letters were “more at the surface level” but that Russian and North Korean talks on a weapons sale were advancing.

The news of the potential deal comes despite North Korea’s public claims to the contrary.

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