Russian President Vladimir Putin has gifted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a Russian-made luxury limousine for his personal use.
This was announced by both countries on Tuesday.
According to observers, the shipment violates a U.N. resolution that bans supplying luxury items to North Korea, in an attempt to pressure the country to abandon its nuclear weapons.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, and another senior North Korean official accepted the gift Sunday and she conveyed her brother’s thanks to Putin.
The report said Kim Yo Jong said the gift showed the special personal relationship between the leaders.
CNN quoted sources familiar with the latest intelligence as saying US intelligence officials are increasingly concerned about the long-term implications of what appears to be a new level of strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia.
The North Korean leader is often seen being chauffeured in what’s believed to be a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman Guard armored limousine, worth upwards of $1 million.
In 2018, he arrived at a meeting with US officials in a black Rolls-Royce.
Earlier that year, according to the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies, two armored Mercedes-Maybach S600 Guard vehicles were shipped from the Netherlands to North Korea, likely for Kim’s use.