On Wednesday, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, toasted the “strengthening of cooperation” with North Korea as he hosted the solitary nation’s leader Kim Jong Un at an official dinner in the Russian Far East.
Putin had talks with Kim in Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome, in an unparalleled summit as Russia developed increasingly separated from the West over its offensive in Ukraine.
Putin said that a toast to the future strengthening of cooperation and friendship between our nations. For the well-being and wealth of our countries, for the health of the leader and all of those attending, he added, raising his glass in footage aired by Russian state television.
Putin stood up to create the toast, with his foreign and defense ministers sitting next to him and fronting Kim and the North Korean delegation.
He hailed the historical relations between North Korea and Russia, citing a Russian proverb that “an old friend is better than two new ones.”
Putin said that our ties were established back in Korea’s battle for independence in 1945 when Soviet and Korean troopers battled side by side against Japanese militarists and today we also seek to bolster the bonds of camaraderie and good neighborliness.
We act in the name of peace, stability, and prosperity of our common region, Putin added.
