Vladimir Putin was received with much pomp in North Korea by his “comrade” and the pariah state’s leader Kim Jong-un who once again pledged his support to Moscow amid a warning by the United States.
Kim Jong-un, who previously supplied arms to Moscow, promised his full support for Russia’s war in Ukraine before beginning a one-on-one meeting with Mr Putin in capital Pyongyang.
Mr Putin arrived on Tuesday for the summit set to deepen trade and security ties intended to offset sanctions placed on the two regimes by the US. He was given a warm, red carpeted welcome with a hug from Mr Kim.
The visit looks to overshadow the mammoth peace talks held by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Switzerland over the weekend. Nearly 80 nations agreed that peace talks will begin only after Russia restores Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
On the war front, Russian forces have likely beheaded a Ukrainian soldier in Donetsk, and Kyiv is investigating the suspected war crime, officials said.
“The fact of decapitation of a Ukrainian defender was recorded in the Donetsk region,” Ukrainian general prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said.