00:00 In typical fashion, North Korean state media confirmed Tuesday that leader Kim Jong-un
00:07 had in fact set off on a rare trip out of the country to visit Russia's Far East.
00:12 His private train was headed to an unconfirmed destination.
00:16 For what the Kremlin described as comprehensive discussions with Vladimir Putin, amid warnings
00:21 from Washington, they should not trade weapons.
00:24 The Russian president gave little away to reporters who asked him why he was going to
00:28 the Vostochny Cosmodrome on Tuesday, saying he had his own agenda there.
00:32 US officials have said arms talks between Russia and North Korea are actively advancing
00:38 and that Kim and Putin were likely to discuss the war in Ukraine.
00:42 Weapons are one thing Pyongyang has at its disposal, but it and Moscow both deny North
00:47 Korea could supply arms to Russia, which has expended vast stocks in more than 18 months
00:52 of war.
00:54 Kim could offer artillery rounds from North Korea's large stockpile, but questions about
00:58 the ammunition's quality may limit the overall impact, military analysts said.
01:03 Washington and its allies have expressed concern at recent signs of closer military cooperation
01:08 between Russia and nuclear-armed North Korea.
01:12 Kim's last trip out of the country was also to meet Putin in 2019.
01:17 North Korea is one of the few countries to have openly supported Moscow over the Ukraine
01:21 conflict, and Putin pledged just days ago to "expand bilateral ties in all respects
01:27 in a planned way by pooling efforts."
