Putin arrives in North Korea for his first visit in 24 years

Vladimir Putin has arrived in North Korea on his first visit to the country in 24 years.

The Kremlin confirmed that the Russian president had touched down in the capital city, Pyongyang, at around 3am local time.

His trip, alongside Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and the heads of the Russian space agency, has seen several streets lined with Russian flags and portraits of Putin to celebrate the visit.

Details about the trip were vague, but as Putin visited the Russian city of Yakutsk earlier today, speculation that he was using the visit as a pitstop before travelling on to North Korea was rife.

This is only the second time Putin has visited North Korea – his last trip was in 2000, when Kim Jong Un’s father Kim Jong Il was leader.

The main day of Putin’s state visit will be tomorrow, as an official welcome ceremony is held between delegations from both countries while the Russian president receives a guard of honour.

Vladimir Putin was greeted by North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un as he touched down in Pyongyang (Picture: via REUTERS)

Russian flags and portraits of Putin line the streets of Pyongyang (Picture: Getty Images)

Putin is also set to attend a gala concert, and to visit the only orthodox church in North Korea – the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity – before then leaving for another state visit in Vietnam.

International eyes are watching the trip closely as the two countries continue to deepen their strategic relationship.

Putin recently said the countries would continue to ‘resolutely oppose’ what he described as Western ambitions ‘to hinder the establishment of a multipolar world order based on justice, mutual respect for sovereignty, considering each other’s interests’.

Putin may be looking to buy ammunition and weapons from North Korea to use during the ongoing war in Ukraine, while North Korea is in need of money as the insular country’s economy struggles.

Some experts think the two leaders could discuss sending more North Korean workers to Russia, as Russia is in need of manpower, the BBC reports.

South Korean and US officials have said the visit could deepen military ties between the two countries which was a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

North Korea is under heavy UN Security Council economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also grappling with sanctions by the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.

Putin said the countries will also expand co-operation in tourism, culture and education.

The Russian president hasn’t travelled much in recent years. An arrest warrant was issued last March over the deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia, and since then he has only visited countries which aren’t signatories to the International Criminal Court.

This was also his first visit to Yakutsk in 10 years – plus, his invasion of Ukraine has made him extremely unpopular across large swathes of the west, limiting his travel options.

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