Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea early Wednesday morning to a warm reception from Kim Jong-Un, who greeted him with a lavish welcome ceremony at a Pyongyang airport.

The two leaders were seen shaking hands, hugging, and then traveling together in a limousine surrounded by a large motorcade.

They proceeded to the Kumsusan State Guest House, according to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency, which hailed the meeting as a historic reaffirmation of the strong friendship and unity between their nations.

Putin’s visit, his first to North Korea in 24 years, included expressions of gratitude for North Korea’s support of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, where the Kremlin initiated a full-scale invasion in 2022, the Daily Mail has reported.

He emphasized their shared commitment to opposing Western efforts that he criticized as obstructing a just multipolar world order based on sovereignty and mutual respect.

Written by B.C. Begley