According to a South Korean official speaking to ABC News, a train said to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang on Monday to travel to Russia for a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin announced on Monday that the leader of the covert nation will conduct an official state visit to Russia in the coming days.
According to the Russian TASS news agency, Putin started a two-day journey on Monday to Vladivostok, a port city close to eastern Russia’s border with North Korea, where he will attend an economic forum.
The South Korean official claimed that Kim’s train also appeared to be “heading towards” Vladivostok.
A U.S. official told ABC News last week that talks between Kim and Putin “are actively advancing” on the prospect of North Korea providing weapons to Russia.
An agreement of this nature would be “another indication of how desperate Mr. Putin is,” according to John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council.
But Kirby warned that if they go forward, North Korea would suffer extra consequences. “The United States and the international community will look for ways to hold them accountable for that.”
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim, who came to power in 2011, attended a military parade on Sunday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the creation of the North Korean state.
A group from China was in North Korea on Friday, and the leader met with them in “an atmosphere of deep comradeship,” according to KCNA.
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