Putin gifts Kim of North Korea high-fancy car

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a fancy car made in Russia.

Pyongyang’s official news said that Mr. Kim’s top aides received the limousine on Sunday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the gift was a big fancy car called an Aurus, just like the one Mr. Putin drives

The two countries, which were not very connected to the rest of the world, have become close friends since Russia attacked Ukraine.

North Korea is believed to be giving Russia weapons like guns, rockets, and missiles for the war, even though both countries are supposed to follow international rules against it. Both sides say they did not break the rules about sanctions.

Last September, Mr. Putin greeted Mr. Kim at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East. This was Mr. Kim’s first trip to another country in four years.

During the visit, the leader of North Korea looked at Mr. Putin’s fancy car and was asked to sit in the back. They also exchanged guns as presents.

It is thought that Kim Jong-un likes cars and has a lot of expensive ones from other countries.

Kim’s sister Yo Jong said that the gift shows how close the leaders of the two countries are. Her comments were reported by the North Korean state news agency KCNA.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said that giving the gift broke the rules from the United Nations Security Council. They have sanctions against North Korea that say certain types of vehicles, like luxury cars, can’t be given to them.

BBC’s Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says that although the two leaders are not like best friends, they both understand the advantages of having a closer relationship. Unlike Kim and former US President Donald Trump, they don’t have a very close or friendly relationship.

Russia and North Korea have said that Mr Putin will go to Pyongyang soon.