Kim Jong Un may be in Europe meeting with Vladimir Putin, but the city of Pyongyang remains a topic of discussion.
On Wednesday, September 13, Pyongyang, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward its eastern seas.
“Our military has strengthened its surveillance and vigilance in preparation for additional launches while maintaining a full preparedness while working closely with the U.S.,” a statement from South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reads.
News of a ballistic missiles launch crosses the wire as Kim Jong Un prepares to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two reportedly met in Russia’s eastern Amur region at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Wednesday morning. According to the Kremlin, the two political leaders will discuss “bilateral relations, the situation in the region and in the global arena.” However, federal officials in the U.S. say that the two countries are locked in an arms negotiation that is “actively advancing.” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reportedly said that officials in Russia are trying to “convince Pyongyang to sell artillery ammunition” to them.
“I will remind both countries that any transfer of arms from North Korea to Russia would be in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
“We, of course, have aggressively enforced our sanctions against entities that fund Russia’s war effort, and we will continue to enforce those sanctions and will not hesitate to impose new sanctions if appropriate.”
