Russian President Vladimir Putin will make the trek to North Korea on Tuesday — his first visit in 24 years — as both sides look to forge closer ties in the face of Western condemnation over Moscow’s war in Ukraine and Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
Moscow and Pyongyang confirmed the trip late Monday, with the Kremlin saying that Putin would "pay a friendly state visit" to North Korea on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Putin, who will also tack on a visit to Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday, visited Pyongyang for the first time in 2000 for a meeting with the late father of current North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.