In his first trip since 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin landed in North Korea’s hermit kingdom at 2:45 am local time on Wednesday. He was welcomed by “huge banners of welcome and Russian flags.”

Later in the day, he will meet North Korean despot Kim Jong Un.

Putin and Kim are scheduled to meet later on Wednesday. They will sign agreements to deepen their relationship, which has grown significantly since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Kim, who visited Vladivostok in Russia during a seven-day visit last September, was one of few world leaders that voiced unambiguous support for the war. Putin described them as “comrades” fighting against the western efforts to isolate the two through sanctions.

The two leaders try to compensate for their lack of humanity with pomp and ceremony.

Putin is officially in North Korea. pic.twitter.com/CKoUYCrEjJ

— Russian Market (@runews) June 18, 2024

Both dictators appear to have a common hatred for the West and Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Kim was said to have asked for Russian energy and food aid as well as help with the country’s space program.

Both countries deny that they struck an arms deal at their summit nine-months ago. However, on the eve before his reciprocal trip to Kim’s country, Putin thanked it for its support.

In an article that appeared in Rodong Sinmun (the newspaper of the ruling Workers’ party) on Tuesday, Putin said: “We are very grateful for the fact that [North Korea] has firmly supported the special military missions of Russia in Ukraine.”

Kim has a strong desire to get Russia’s help, so he is clinging tightly to Putin.

🇰🇵 🇷🇺 Streets of North Korea are covered with Russian flags and pictures of President Putin ahead of his visit to the country. pic.twitter.com/2dlYZ2r8O0

— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) June 18, 2024

It’s not clear what Russia promises. What does Kim want in return for the weapons that Putin wants?

Publicly, it is still unclear what Pyongyang will receive in exchange for its support of Russia’s war. The governments of Seoul and Washington will closely monitor the signs to see how far the Russian leader is willing to go in support of Kim’s bellicose government. In the past, he supported international controls over North Korea’s illicit weapons program.

Putin, despite their ongoing negotiations, praised his BFF’s continued refusal to show the West the middle finger.

Putin wrote that Pyongyang has “very successfully” defended its own interests despite US economic pressures, provocation, threats, and blackmail, which have been ongoing for decades.

He said: “We’ll develop alternative mechanisms for trade and mutual settlements, which aren’t controlled by the West, and we will jointly resist unilateral restrictions that are illegitimate.” We will also build a system of security that is equal and indivisible in Eurasia.

It’s funny to make fun of these two troglodytes but the truth is they are both dangerous. By combining their combined resources, they become more dangerous. We don’t even have James Bond, only Joe Biden. That isn’t very comforting.