Key facts
- Russia has officially invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit the country.
- The schedule for the visit will be coordinated through diplomatic channels.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin previously invited Kim after a summit in Pyongyang in June 2024.
- Kim has visited Russia twice before, in 2019 and 2023, but has never visited Moscow.
- North Korea and Russia have deepened their alignment since North Korea deployed troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine.
Russia has officially invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit the country, a Russian deputy foreign minister said, according to the TASS news agency.
The schedule for the visit will be coordinated through diplomatic channels, TASS reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Kim to visit Russia after holding a summit with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang in June 2024. Putin made the same proposal when the two leaders met again at a military parade in China on Sept. 4, 2025.
Speculation that Kim could visit Moscow within this year grew after North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made an unexpected visit to Russia in July at the invitation of Russia's foreign ministry.
Kim has visited Russia twice, in 2019 and 2023, but met Putin on both occasions in Russia's Far East. He has never visited Moscow.
Pyongyang and Moscow have deepened their alignment since North Korea deployed troops to support Russia's war against Ukraine.