Putin arrived in North Korea on a two-day visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin has landed in North Korea, the Kremlin said. Putin's visit aims to strengthen defense ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, AFP reported.
Posters with a smiling photo of the Russian leader with the inscription "We warmly welcome President Putin!" were hung on lampposts around Pyongyang as early as June 17.
Relations between Russia and North Korea reached a historic high after the start of the war in Ukraine, which led to Moscow's international isolation.
The US and its allies accuse North Korea of ​​supplying Russia with much-needed weapons, including ballistic missiles, to use in Ukraine.
Pyongyang denies providing Russia with military equipment, but before his trip, Putin thanked Kim Jong Un's government for helping the war effort.
"We highly appreciate the fact that North Korea strongly supports Russia's special military operations taking place in Ukraine," Putin wrote in an article published by Pyongyang's state media on June 18.
"Russia and the North are now actively developing the multilateral partnership," the Russian president added.
Putin praised North Korea for "defending its interests very effectively despite the economic pressure, provocations, blackmail and military threats of the US that have been going on for decades."
North Korea said Putin's visit showed that bilateral ties were "strengthening day by day". | BGNES