If Kim did take to the podium with presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, it would be the first time for the three leaders to appear together in public, and would be a strong signal of solidarity and defiance of US pressure, pundits said.
The Kremlin has said that Xi will visit Moscow early next month for the May 9 events, including a military parade, marking the 80th anniversary of the former Soviet Union’s victory in World War II.
According to Moscow’s official Tass news agency, Russian deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko said late last month that preparations for Kim’s expected visit to Russia were already under way and he discussed the issue during his trip to North Korea earlier in March.
Three days later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Kim had received a “valid” invitation to visit Russia and that coordination was ongoing through diplomatic channels. But he fell short of confirming whether Shoigu, Putin’s top security aide, extended another invitation to Kim, adding: “We are not ready to make any official announcements yet.”
