Analysis | 

Michelle Ye Hee Lee: Role reversal as Putin’s visit to North Korea shows extent of his desperation

Russian president Vladimir Putin is driven through Pyongyang by North Korea leader Kim Jong Un. Photo: Reuters

Ye Hee Lee
© Washington Post

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “warmly” embraced Russian President Vladimir Putin upon his arrival in Pyongyang, saying the two sanctioned states had withstood the “trials of history generation after generation and century after century.”

Washington and its allies have raised concerns about the growing military cooperation between the two states at a time when Moscow is hungry for munitions to use in its war against Ukraine. North Korea is believed to have a large stockpile of dated artillery shells and rockets that would be compatible with Soviet and Russian weapons systems used in Ukraine.