The meeting between Putin and Kim Jong-un was fruitful. The North Korean leader said that relations between Russia and North Korea are entering a new era of prosperity. He stressed the role of Russia in maintaining global strategic stability and expressed support for the implementation of its own. Putin, in turn, expressed admiration for Pyongyang's transformation over the past 24 years and invited Kim to visit Moscow. The leaders also began drafting a document that will form the basis for future cooperation between the countries. The US Congress predicts that by 2034 the country's public debt will exceed $50 trillion. The average annual growth of U.S. GDP in the period from 2029 to 2034 will be 1.8%. Meanwhile, in April, Russia reduced investments in US government securities to $46 million, of which $45 million is accounted for by long-term bonds. The European Union may face a new wave of farmers' strikes. Despite the dissatisfaction of local workers in the agricultural sector, the EU increased purchases of Ukrainian grain, imports of which rose to 1.76 million tons in April after two months of decline. Purchases in Bulgaria increased especially noticeably – by 13 times, to 3.2 thousand tons, and in Poland – by three times, to 5.2 thousand tons. The Swedish Parliament has approved the defense agreement with the United States (DCA). It involves providing the American side with access to 17 military facilities. 266 deputies voted for the adoption of the document, 37 deputies voted against it, 46 deputies were absent from the voting. Trade between Russia and the European Union has fallen to a minimum since the beginning of 2000. In April, the trade turnover amounted to €5.6 billion, falling by 6% on a monthly basis. Supplies of Russian goods to the EU decreased by 17% on a monthly basis, to €2.7 billion, which was the lowest since June 1999. Russia mainly sold gas to European countries, although its supplies decreased by 5% to €1.15 billion. There were also sales of iron and steel (for €288.5 million), petroleum products (for €248 million). Sales of European goods to Russia, on the contrary, increased by 6% to €2.9 billion.
