Vladimir Putin’s ‘bye bye…’ to ‘friend Kim Jong Un’ after concluding North Korea visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen waving goodbye to his “friend” and North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un as he departed the country after concluding his state visit earlier this week. A video capturing Putin waving continuously from inside the plane as it departed Pyongyang has gone viral.

The BRICS News X handle shared the video, stating, “Russia’s President Putin waves goodbye to his friend, North Korea’s Kim Jung Un.” The video also showed Putin joining both hands, seemingly to signify the ‘strong ties’ between the two countries.

The visit produced several viral video clips, including the ones mentioned above, capturing the world’s attention as the two leaders met. Another video shows Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un taking turns driving an Aurus limousine.

A clip of Kim Jong Un inviting Putin to sit inside the designated car before him has also gained traction on social media. “President Vladimir Putin driving North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in a brand new Aurus Russian luxury car,” the BRICS News X handle wrote.

The new agreement signed by Putin with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un includes provisions for mutual military assistance between Moscow and Pyongyang if either nation is attacked, Associated Press reported. Putin also revealed for the first time that Russia might supply weapons to the isolated country.

He characterised the potential arms shipments as a countermeasure to NATO allies supplying Ukraine with longer-range weapons to strike Russia.

This new pact signifies the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.

Kim said the new pact “elevated bilateral relations to the level of an alliance.”

In contrast, Putin was more reserved, pointing out that the mutual military assistance pledge echoed a 1961 treaty between the Soviet Union and North Korea. This agreement was abandoned after the Soviet Union’s collapse and replaced with a weaker version in 2000 during Putin’s first visit to Pyongyang.

South Korea reacted to the Russia-North Korea pacts, saying it might consider sending arms to Ukraine, marking a significant shift in its policy. Until now, Seoul has only provided humanitarian aid to Kyiv, adhering to its long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to countries involved in conflicts.

Putin assured that Seoul had nothing to worry about, as the new pact only included military assistance in case of aggression and was intended to act as a deterrent to prevent conflict. He sternly warned South Korea against supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine, stating it would be a “very big mistake.”

“If that happens, then we will also make corresponding decisions that will hardly please the current leadership of South Korea,” he said.

When asked if North Korean troops might fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine under the new pact, Putin responded that there was no need for such an arrangement.