Putin of Russia makes a rare visit to North Korea as anti-Western sentiment grows:

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has arrived in North Korea for a rare visit that indicates the two nations' growing alliance and Moscow's need to purchase weapons from Pyongyang in order to continue its assault on Ukraine.


Upon Putin's arrival in Pyongyang early on Wednesday morning local time, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally received him at the jet ramp, according to video footage of his entrance.

The two leaders engaged in intense conversation for many minutes before getting into their motorcade, according to state media RIA.

According to North Korean state media KCNA, the two leaders "exchanged their pent-up innermost thoughts and opened their minds to more surely develop (North Korea-Russia) relations in conformity with the common desire and will of the peoples of the two countries" as they rode together to the Kumsusan State Guest House, where Putin will be staying.

They had a "friendly chat" when they got to the guesthouse, KCNA continued.

In anticipation of Putin's first visit to the nation since 2000, Russian flags and posters of the leader were flown in Pyongyang's streets. This week's visit is significant for Kim, who has not welcomed a global leader to his politically isolated nation since the Covid-19 outbreak, and a rare overseas journey for Putin since he began the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The world will be watching Putin's visit carefully, and it is anticipated to strengthen the two countries' growing alliance, which is based on their mutual hostility toward the West and is fueled by Moscow's demand for weapons for its conflict in Ukraine.

Putin is expected to visit Hanoi after his trip to North Korea, demonstrating the Communist-run country's close connections to Russia in a move that is sure to irritate the US.

Putin's assistant Yuri Ushakov stated during a news conference on Monday that the Russian president's visit to North Korea will be "very eventful." According to Ushakov, both presidents intend to create a new strategic alliance.

Ushakov emphasized that the deal is intended to promote more stability in northeast Asia rather than being aggressive or directed against other nations. He stated that the agreements inked in 1961, 2000, and 2001 between Moscow and Pyongyang would be replaced by the new one.

Preparations were underway for a grand parade in Pyongyang's center plaza, according to satellite data obtained by Planet Labs and Maxar Technologies. One picture showed a grandstand being built on the eastern edge of North Korea's Kim Il Sung Square, the location of all the country's big parades. Earlier, on June 5, photos show North Koreans rehearsing their marching patterns.

The Biden administration is "concerned about the trip," US national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday, but he also said, "What we are concerned about is the deepening relationship between these two countries."

The US, South Korea, and other nations have charged that North Korea has been giving Russia's war effort significant military support in recent months. Meanwhile, analysts have expressed concern that Moscow may be breaking international sanctions in order to support Pyongyang's development of its fledgling strategic satellite program. North Korea's arms exports have been rejected by both nations.

Putin's journey is a retaliation for Kim's from September of last year, during which the North Korean leader visited an armoured train in Russia's far east, stopping at a missile launch complex and a fighter aircraft factory.

It also occurs at a time when world anxiety over the North Korean leader's intentions has increased due to his use of bellicose rhetoric and abandonment of the country's long-standing policy of pursuing peaceful reunification with South Korea. Tensions on the Korean peninsula are still high.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, South Korea fired warning shots on Tuesday after North Korean soldiers stationed in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) briefly entered the country. This was the second such occurrence in the previous two weeks.

In a greeting to Putin on June 12, Russia's national day, Kim celebrated the future of the two nations' "meaningful ties and close comradeship" last week.

Kim told the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, "Our people give full support and solidarity to the successful work of the Russian army and people."

Putin praised Pyongyang for providing "unwavering support" for Russia's conflict in Ukraine in an essay for the same publication that was published early on Tuesday local time. He also stated that the two nations were "ready to confront the ambition of the collective West."

The two will "develop alternative trade and mutual settlements mechanisms not controlled by the West, jointly oppose illegitimate unilateral restrictions, and shape the architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia," he said, adding that they were "actively advancing their multifaceted partnership."

The meeting is taking place just a few days after President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine attended a summit of the Group of Seven (G7) developed economies in Italy, where Western leaders reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and decided to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets to support a $50 billion loan to the war-torn nation.

It also comes after a weekend international peace summit sponsored by Kyiv and attended by over a hundred nations and organizations. The goal of the gathering was to garner support for Zelensky's peace proposal, which demanded that Russian forces leave all of Ukrainian land.

A day before the meeting, Putin rejected such attempts by putting up his own terms for peace, which included Kyiv withdrawing its aspiration to join NATO, which is viewed as unfeasible by Ukraine and its allies, and the evacuation of Ukrainian forces from four partially occupied territories.

Many people believe that Putin would use his trip to North Korea to try to strengthen Kim's support for his war, an aim that might become more pressing as long-delayed US military assistance for Ukraine becomes available.

Russian forces were able to "get back up on their feet" because of the supply of Iranian drones and North Korean weapons and missiles, according to testimony given by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to US legislators last month.

According to South Korea's defense ministry earlier this year, Pyongyang transferred over 6,700 containers to Russia between August and February. These containers could hold more than 3 million rounds of 152 mm artillery shells or more than 500,000 rounds of 122 mm multiple rocket launchers.

Such arms deliveries have been rejected by both Moscow and Pyongyang; a top North Korean official called such accusations an "absurd paradox" last month.

A spokesman for the Kremlin responded to questions last week regarding worries that Russia might consider giving sensitive technologies to Pyongyang in exchange for those goods by stating that the two nations have "profound potential for developing bilateral relations" and that they "should not and cannot be challenged by anyone."

Putin in the international arena:

During his first year in office as Russian president in 2000, Putin made his only trip to North Korea, where he had a meeting with Kim Jong Il, the late leader's father.

The Russian president is travelling to North Korea and Vietnam at the moment, seemingly eager to get back on the international scene after his internationally denounced invasion of Ukraine. By enticing allies who share his views, he hopes to weaken his reputation of isolation.

During a state visit to Beijing last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed their broad opposition to what they perceived to be a US-led world order.

For a conference of the BRICS group of big developing economies, which includes China, Iran, South Africa, and Brazil, Moscow last week invited foreign ministers from these nations.

In the wake of the leader's reelection, US national security spokesperson John Kirby referred to Putin's most recent travels as a "charm offensive" on Monday. Putin prevailed in a vote devoid of any competition earlier this year to win his fifth term.

Putin's initiative to strengthen relations with North Korea has also benefited Kim, who has not yielded to years of international sanctions related to his illicit nuclear weapons program.

The leader of a nation that is a permanent member of the UN Security Council will be visiting, giving Kim the opportunity to demonstrate his influence on a global scale and to press Moscow for much-needed financial and technological assistance.

In the past, Russia has supported UN-sponsored investigations and international sanctions aimed at stopping North Korea's illicit weapons development, which includes testing long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland.

However, it seems that Russia's growing reliance on North Korea and growing hostilities with the West have changed this dynamic. A UN proposal to reinstate independent monitoring of North Korea's breaches of Security Council sanctions was rejected by Moscow in March.