North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s infamous bulletproof train arrived in Vladivostok as anticipated today for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. The Russian press was on hand for the inevitable photo ops and statements of support. Kim vowed his “full and unconditional support” for Russia’s “sacred war” and said his nation would always stand with Russia on “the anti-imperialist front.” The meeting took place at a remote Russian spaceport, where Kim toured some launching pads before retiring to speak privately with Putin. But what sort of deal are they looking to cut and what would both sides get out of such an arrangement? It’s probably not very difficult to guess given everything that’s going on in that part of the world these days. (Associated Press)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Wednesday for talks that are likely to focus on Russia’s desire to buy ammunition to refill reserves drained by its war in Ukraine.

The meeting underscores deepening cooperation as the two isolated leaders are locked in separate confrontations with the United States. In return for providing ammunition, North Korea will likely want shipments of food and energy and transfers of sophisticated weapons technologies.

The meeting with Putin is Kim’s first with a foreign leader since North Korea closed its borders in January 2020. They met for the first time in April 2019, two months after Kim’s high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with then-U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed.

The AP offers an important historical reference point in the excerpt above. While North Korea and Russia haven’t traditionally been at each other’s throats, they also haven’t exactly been close allies. Putin and Kim never had a meeting until 2019. You probably recall why that date is important. Donald Trump had actually been making some inroads with Kim during the first part of his presidential term, leading North Korea to stop testing nukes and ICBMs for quite a while while the two leaders held meetings. But when those negotiations fell apart over Kim’s demands for immediate sanction relief, he began courting Putin as an alternative.

In terms of what they will be discussing, Putin is clearly looking to have North Korea send large amounts of ammunition and military support for the invasion of Ukraine. In exchange, Kim wants as much food as he can get from Russia to help allay the ongoing famine in his country. But that’s reportedly not all he’s asking for. The fact that the meeting is taking place at a spaceport is probably symbolic. Kim has expressed an interest in getting some spy satellites into orbit. He’s tried twice already, with the second failure coming only two weeks ago. He would also like help with his missile program, which has been steadily advancing but still experiences periodic and occasionally spectacular failures.

Russia is obviously vastly more advanced in both types of technology and it sounds like Putin is ready to share in exchange for having a new supply of ammo and an ally in his grinding war in Ukraine. This latest phase in the rise of the new Axis of Evil is bad news for the Western world. Kim and his family have always been malevolent and potentially dangerous, but they’ve also been remarkably well-contained. We keep a close eye on North Korea, particularly in terms of the advancement of its nuclear weapons program. However, few analysts have expressed serious concerns over Kim launching an actual invasion of his neighbors or firing nukes at other nations. Everyone – presumably including Kim – knows that this is mostly bluster on his part and he would be completely destroyed if he tried it, though a lot of damage would definitely result.

Having Russia and North Korea more closely aligned and engaging in this sort of trade could change the outlook considerably. First, with more allies and an expanded military supply line, Putin may be even less likely to consider abandoning his efforts in Ukraine. At the same time,  Kim has long wanted to be taken more seriously on the world stage as an international leader. With Russia as an active partner, he is seeing that wish come true and he may feel more emboldened. And if Putin helps him climb further up the ladder into the space race and the nuclear weapons game, North Korea will be far more dangerous than it has traditionally been in recent decades. And that’s not good news for anyone.