This time, it’s official: Russia expects North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit Moscow next month for World War II anniversary celebrations.
North Korean representatives have confirmed that Kim will be in the Russian capital for May 9 Victory Day celebrations, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Wednesday, according to Russian state-run news agency Tass.
This would mark Kim’s first official foreign trip since inheriting the leadership of North Korea in late 2011.
Kim will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the May visit, Tass reported.
Kim’s trip has been anticipated since late December, when Russian state media reported that Moscow had extended an invitation to Pyongyang.
Last month, a Russian official speaking on condition of anonymity told CNN that the invitation was accepted. But Wednesday’s Tass report is the first public confirmation attached to a named official.
This year’s Victory Day marks the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Russia has said it has invited more than 60 world leaders to the celebrations.