A Cold War-esque meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to North Korea on Tuesday for a summit with its reclusive leader Kim Jong Un − his first visit to the country in nearly a quarter of a century.
It was also Putin's first trip to North Korea since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022 and comes as the two nuclear-armed states have appeared to deepen ties amid their isolation from the West.
Officially, Putin is simply paying a "friendly visit," according to the Kremlin and Russian state media. North Korea’s state news agency KCNA also announced the visit but initially offered no further details.
But there's a subtext to the trip for both leaders.