Washington: The United States has reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is anticipating a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Russia to discuss the provision of arms to Moscow for its involvement in the war in Ukraine. 

This revelation follows a previous warning from the White House, which stated that Russia was engaged in secret negotiations with North Korea to acquire various munitions and supplies for its war efforts.

National Security Council (NSC) spokeswoman Adrienne Watson confirmed these developments, stating, "As we have warned publicly, arms negotiations between Russia and the DPRK are actively advancing." DPRK is an acronym for North Korea. 

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She added, "We have information that Kim Jong Un expects these discussions to continue, to include leader-level diplomatic engagement in Russia."

Notably, Kim Jong Un, who seldom leaves his country, is expected to travel later this month to Vladivostok, a city on Russia's Pacific coast close to North Korea, for a potential meeting with President Putin. There is also some uncertainty about the possibility of Kim traveling to Moscow for the meeting.

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Last week, NSC spokesman John Kirby disclosed that, despite denials, North Korea had supplied infantry rockets and missiles to Russia in 2022, intended for use by the privately controlled Wagner military group. 

Additionally, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had visited North Korea in the previous month, seeking to procure additional munitions for the ongoing war.

Expressing concern about these developments, Adrienne Watson urged North Korea to cease its arms negotiations with Russia and adhere to the public commitments Pyongyang had made, which included refraining from providing or selling arms to Russia.

The United States, along with Britain, South Korea, and Japan, issued a joint statement at the United Nations last week, asserting that any bilateral cooperation agreement between Russia and North Korea would violate Security Council resolutions that prohibit arms deals with Pyongyang. 

These resolutions had been previously endorsed by Russia. The statement further noted that, following Shoigu's visit to Pyongyang, another group of Russian officials had traveled to North Korea for follow-up discussions on arms procurement.

These discussions between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin occur in the backdrop of a closely monitored Ukrainian counteroffensive in the southern and eastern regions of the country. 

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President Putin commented on Monday, characterizing the Ukrainian operation as a failure, stating, "It is not that it is stalling. It is a failure. At least today, this is what it looks like. Let’s see what happens next."

In response to the ongoing crisis, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced his resignation to the parliament on Monday, following President Volodymyr Zelensky's call for "new approaches" to confront Russia's offensive.