--- description: The North Korean leader and Russian president may meet for the first time next week, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reports. title: 'Chances High' for Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un Summit image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2223877e9594c42/69894848e76ad2f4bd6347b5/putin-kim-summit.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [North Korea](/tag/north-korea/) ## North Korea Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Are Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un About to Have a Summit? by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Apr 15, 2019 8:50 AM CUT  Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at Schloss Meseberg palace in Gransee, Germany on Aug. 18, 2018. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at Schloss Meseberg palace in Gransee, Germany on Aug. 18, 2018.Xander Heinl—Photothek via Getty Images by [Amy Gunia](/author/amy-gunia/) ## Amy Gunia Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong. Apr 15, 2019 8:50 AM CUT North Korean leader [Kim Jong Un](http://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217599/kim-jong-un-2/ "undefined") may meet Russian President [Vladimir Putin](http://time.com/5564173/how-putin-built-russian-empire/ "undefined") for the first time next week, South Korea’s [Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20190415001700325 "undefined") reports. The Russian leader is expected to travel to his country’s far eastern region, near the North Korean border, on his way to Beijing for meetings on China’s [Belt and Road Initiative](http://time.com/4776845/china-xi-jinping-belt-road-initiative-obor/ "undefined") on Apr. 26 and 27, according to Yonhap. “Chances are fairly high that a summit between Russia and North Korea could take place around that time,” a source told Yonhap. Russian lawmakers cited by Reuters have previously indicated that there are plans in place for Kim to visit Russia this [spring or summer.](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-russia/north-koreas-kim-to-visit-russia-in-spring-or-summer-ria-cites-lawmaker-idUSKCN1R60VI "undefined") **Read More:** [Russia Is Still Accepting North Korean Laborers Despite Sanctions, Report Says](http://time.com/5357064/russia-north-koreans-work-permits/ "undefined") Top officials from both countries have met in recent months, fueling speculation that the rendezvous may be taking place sooner rather than later. [Kim Chang Son](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47288276 "undefined"), who is Kim’s de-facto chief of staff, visited Mosow and Vladivostock in March, and Russia’s Interior Minister [Vladimir Kolokoltsev](http://time.com/4123380/russia-france-puppy/ "undefined") visited Pyongyang earlier this month, according to Yonhap. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has confirmed that a summit will take place. Kim Jong Un has met with with several world leaders since taking office in 2011, including China’s [Xi Jinping](http://time.com/5216544/north-korea-kim-jong-un-beijing-xi-jinping-donald-trump-denuclearization/ "undefined"), South Korea’s [Moon Jae-in](http://time.com/5257125/kim-jong-un-moon-jae-in-meeting-transcript/ "undefined"), and U.S. President [Donald Trump](http://time.com/5540780/donald-trump-kim-jong-un-north-korea-summit-no-deal/ "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5570580/vladimir-putin-kim-jong-un-summit-meeting/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5570580/vladimir-putin-kim-jong-un-summit-meeting/"},"headline":"Are Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un About to Have a Summit?","datePublished":"2019-04-15T08:50:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T23:18:01.586Z","description":"Summit speculation has been rife in recent months","url":"https://time.com/5570580/vladimir-putin-kim-jong-un-summit-meeting/","keywords":["North Korea","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2223877e9594c42/69894848e76ad2f4bd6347b5/putin-kim-summit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amy Gunia","jobTitle":"Gunia was a reporter for TIME based in Hong Kong.","url":"https://time.com/author/amy-gunia/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte2223877e9594c42/69894848e76ad2f4bd6347b5/putin-kim-summit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"putin-kim-might-meet","caption":"Putin Kim Might Meet","creditText":"Xander Heinl—Photothek via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/north-korea/","name":"North Korea"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5570580/vladimir-putin-kim-jong-un-summit-meeting/","name":"Are Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un About to Have a Summit?"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"President Trump Leaves Empty-Handed: Second Summit With Kim Jong Un Ends Without a Deal","description":"President Donald Trump has hastily cut short his two-day summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, ending the talks early and leaving empty handed.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/GAlp1Pg4/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2019-02-28T08:04:27.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GAlp1Pg4.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5570580/vladimir-putin-kim-jong-un-summit-meeting/","duration":"PT2M57S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5570580/vladimir-putin-kim-jong-un-summit-meeting/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```