VLADIMIR Putin has reportedly gifted Kim Jong-un a £350,000 limousine as a thank-you for North Korean weapons.
The move is thought to be the latest sign of a growing bond between the two powerful despots.
GettyPutin has gifted Kim Jong-un a flashy new car[/caption]
GettyThe car is a luxury Sedan limousine made by Russian brand, Aurus[/caption]
GettyPutin sent Kim the Aurus Senat limousine after he was seen admiring Putin’s model when he visited Russia[/caption]
EPAThe car costs roughly £350,000[/caption]
It comes as the North Korean dictator was revealed to have splashed the cash on a collection of luxury cars and was recently spotted in four new foreign vehicles.
The Kremlin confirmed on Tuesday that a Russian-made full-sized luxury sedan limousine by Aurus, Russia’s first luxury car brand, was on its way to North Korea.
According to North Korean state media said the car was hand-delivered by a Russian delegation over the weekend.
Putin’s elaborate gift is likely to be in violation of Moscow-backed United Nations Security Council sanctions against Pyongyang, which prohibit the supply of luxury goods including all “transportation vehicles” to the East Asian nation.
Kim Jong-un is said to be a motor enthusiast.
In the last month alone he has been seen riding in a £160,000 armoured Mercedes-Maybach S560 sedan, luxury Mercedes and Lexus SUV, according to Seoul-based NK News.
It is not known how the vehicles reached North Korea, which for more than a decade has been restricted by the sanctions.
However, the regime has a long-standing tradition of smuggling in luxury items such as designer bags, clothes and expensive alcohol enjoyed by the Kim dynasty and Pyongyang elites.
When the North Korean depot visited Russia last year he was pictured inspecting Putin’s presidential Anrus Senat limousine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the decision to gift the motor was made after Kim took a liking to Mr Putin’s own Aurus Senat Limousine – a bespoke luxury car.
The Kremlin has neither confirmed nor denied its use of North Korea-made weapons in its invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea has denied shipping arms to Russia, which would also be a violation of UN sanctions.
Since Mr Kim’s visit to Russia in September, exchanges of delegations between the two countries have become more frequent.
It comes as in 2019 Kim Jong-un’s was pictured with jogging bodyguards beside his limo ahead of his meeting with Donald Trump.
Around a dozen minders in dark suits were seen jogging along either side of the vehicle as it drove through Hanoi.
The dictator’s suit-clad security team sprung into action to surround the car on all sides to ensure their leader was kept safe.
Kim Jong-un’s cars
KIM JONG-UN is known to be a motor enthusiast. Here’s a list of the swanky cars he’s been seen riding in.
Maybach S600 Pullman Guard – £1,198,162
S600 Pullman Guard – £1,243,432.15
Rolls-Royce Phantom – £407,400
Armoured Mercedes-Maybach – £158,399
Lexus SUV – roughly £54,446
Ford vans – price range from £47,361 to £86,183
Russian-made bulletproof Aurus limousine – £350,000
ReutersThe motor is reportedly as a thank-you for weapons[/caption]
AFPKim has been known to travel in a limousine while body guards jog beside[/caption]
GettyPutin sent Kim the Aurus Senat limousine after he was seen admiring Putin’s model when he visited Russia[/caption]