<a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/north-korea" target="_blank">North Korean</a> leader <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/kim-jong-un" target="_blank">Kim Jong Un</a> is traveling to <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/russia" target="_blank">Russia</a> at the invitation of President <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/vladimir-putin" target="_blank">Vladimir Putin</a>, the Kremlin confirmed on Monday.

Kim's trip comes as the Biden administration has warned the two countries are in advanced negotiations for North Korea to provide weapons to Russia for <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/war-in-ukraine" target="_blank">use in Ukraine</a>.

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"At the invitation of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, Chairman of State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un will pay an official visit to Russia in the coming days," the Kremlin said in a <a class="Link" href="https://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/72246" target="_blank">statement</a>.

The meeting "could take place within days. It will be a full-blown visit, with talks between the two delegations, and afterward, if need be, the leaders will continue to communicate one-on-one. Also, a formal dinner is planned on behalf of the president of Russia in honor of the North Korean guest," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, <a class="Link" href="https://tass.com/politics/1673019" target="_blank">according</a> to state media.

Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that the department "expect[s] some type of meeting," while State Department spokesman Matthew Miller declined to answer what North Korea is seeking from Russia in exchange for the military support.

U.S. officials warned in late August that Russia and North Korea's negotiations have advanced. The United States initially uncovered that the DPRK had provided a Russian paramilitary organization known as the Wagner Group with infantry rockets and missiles late last year.

"Our current analysis is that discussions between North Korea and Russia, with respect to North Korea providing military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine — that those discussions are actively advancing," national security adviser <a class="Link" href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/jake-sullivan" target="_blank">Jake Sullivan</a> told reporters last week. "We also have information, as we have indicated publicly, that North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, has some expectation that those discussions will continue as we go forward — including leader-level discussions, perhaps even in-person leader-level discussions."

Russia has sought to acquire weapons from allies, including North Korea, Iran, and China, which the U.S. and the West have warned against.

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"I think the fact that Russia is having to beg North Korea for military support speaks to the effectiveness of our sanctions and our export controls, that they have been denied the technology they need and the raw materials they need to fund, to sustain, this effort," Miller said during Monday's briefing. "I think it's fair to say that having to travel across the length of his own country ... to meet with an international pariah to ask for assistance in a war that he expected to win in the opening month. Look, I would characterize it: It's him begging for assistance. Now, we'll see, there may be something that he offers in exchange."

Kim rarely leaves North Korea and hasn't since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Kim traveled to Russia for a meeting with Putin in April 2019. He is reportedly <a class="Link" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-66771568" target="_blank">heading to Vladivostok</a> by armored train. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is traveling to Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin confirmed on Monday.{ai:summary}<p>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is traveling to Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. The visit comes as the two countries are in negotiations for North Korea to provide military support to Russia for its war in Ukraine. #warinukraine</p>