Putin's visit to North Korea a significant goodwill gesture towards Kim - ISW

Putin is using the visit to get more help from North Korea in the future the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.

ISW analysts recalled that ahead of his visit to North Korea, Putin published an article in North Korean state-owned newspaper Rodong Sinmun on June 18. He praised Russian–North Korean cooperation, likely to frame any future support that North Korea will lend to Russia as part of a common struggle against the West.

Putin invoked the history of the Soviet Union's support for North Korea during and following the Korean War and noted that the Soviet Union was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with North Korea. Putin claimed that the Soviet Union's support helped North Korea strengthen its economy and establish a peaceful society following the Korean War and thanked North Korea for its support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"Putin's intentional appeal to known propaganda narratives about the legacies of the Kim regime, the Korean War, and North Korea's historical struggle against the US and the West is likely setting conditions for Putin to justify his future requests or demands of the North Korean people in support of Russia's war effort in Ukraine," ISW analysts said.

Putin may be using this visit as flattery to assist in extracting additional aid from North Korea in the future, which may range from additional requests for weapon supplies or even manpower; for example, reports in 2022 suggested that North Korea was considering sending North Korean workers to Russian-occupied Ukraine to help with reconstruction efforts.

Select Western officials warned about the dangers of greater cooperation between global authoritarian regimes on June 17 in response to Putin's visit to North Korea. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated on June 17 that Russia's growing alignment with its "authoritarian friends" is making it "even more important" for NATO countries to work with their partners in the Indo-Pacific region and condemned China and North Korea's support for Russia's war effort.

U.S. National Security Spokesperson John Kirby stated during a press conference that the U.S. is alarmed by deepening Russian–North Korean relations due to both the consequences in Ukraine and the security of the Korean peninsula.