Kim embarked on his journey to Russia accompanied by his foreign minister and senior military officials. He made a stop in Khasan, a town on Russia’s border with North Korea, before proceeding to meet with Russian Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov. Putin has announced plans to visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome, where he is expected to meet Kim. The United States has warned that if North Korea arms Russia, further sanctions may be imposed.
Amid the ongoing conflict, Russia has recently recalibrated its air defense system protecting Moscow to detect and engage drones, which have been used in attacks against the capital. Denmark has announced a military defense package worth approximately $833 million for Ukraine, the largest financial donation to the country since Russia’s invasion. However, Putin believes that the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine will not change the course of the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on citizens to remain focused on the war and be prepared for the long haul. He vetoed a law that would have reinstated mandatory disclosures of assets by Ukrainian lawmakers with a year-long delay. Zelensky will meet Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. Russia’s economic ties with China are growing and yielding excellent results, as annual bilateral trade may soon reach $200 billion.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to discuss U.S. security assistance efforts. Former U.S. President George W. Bush recently recalled being served by Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the boss of the Wagner mercenary group, during a dinner with Putin.
Contributors: David L. Stern, Natalia Abbakumova, and Adam Taylor
