President Vladimir Putin gifts Russian car to Kim Jong Un

President Vladimir Putin has gifted a Russian car to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his personal use, potentially breaching a United Nations’ ban that Moscow had agreed to adopt against Pyongyang.

According to the media reports, Russia and North Korea have been strengthening their ties since Kim Jong Un and President Vladimir Putin met in September, pledging to promote exchanges in all areas. North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine have not prevented them from working together, despite their isolation on the world scene.

According to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Russian side presented the car, which was manufactured in Russia, to Kim’s top advisers on February 18. Kim Jong Un’s sister politely thanked Putin on behalf of the Russian side, stating that the present is an obvious example of the close personal ties between the two leaders.

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Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agency RIA that Kim was given an Aurus Senat, which is Putin’s presidential vehicle and Russia’s first full-size luxury sedan, according to the automaker’s website.

Putin urged Kim to take a seat in the back seat during their September visit to Russia’s space launch pad. Kim, a car fanatic, took a special train from Pyongyang to a location and drove a Maybach limousine there. It is thought that he has sneaked in a number of expensive foreign cars for his collection. A Lexus SUV, a Rolls-Royce Phantom, and Mercedes limousines are among the opulent products that are prohibited from being exported to North Korea under UNSC resolutions.

The Kremlin has not addressed allegations that North Korea is giving Russia weaponry to use in the crisis in Ukraine. North Korea, meanwhile, refutes the allegations, which would also be against UN sanctions.