Kim Jong Un welcomes Putin to North Korea and pledges 'full support' for Ukraine war

SEOUL, South Korea — The streets of North Korea's capital were lined Wednesday with cheering crowds, mounted troops and magnificent portraits — not of Kim Jong Un, but of his guest and growing ally, Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president is meeting with North Korea's leader in a rare visit to the reclusive state, as he seeks ammunition for his war in Ukraine and vows to back the nuclear-armed regime against the United States.

U.S. officials previously told NBC News they hoped the pair would cement a new deal to expand military technology transfers to Pyongyang in exchange for supplies of badly needed munitions for Moscow's military on the battlefield.

Putin's visit to North Korea is his first in 24 years, as Kremlin forces press for advances in Ukraine's east and north while Kiev's defenses are bolstered by new commitments from its own allies.

Kim, meanwhile, has stepped up his nuclear tests and threats, stoking tensions with US ally South Korea and raising concerns about the extent of his ambitions.

Putin arrived at midday for a welcome ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang, named after Kim's grandfather and North Korea's founder.

Standing before a large crowd of cheering civilians, the two leaders greeted officials on a red carpet outside the city's central library, from which two giant portraits of them look down. Military bands played the national anthems of the two countries and children waved balloons and Russian and North Korean flags.

Kim and Putin then left for the summit at Kumsusan Palace.

“We appreciate your consistent and unwavering support for Russian policies, including Ukraine,” Putin said in opening remarks before the talks began, according to Russian state media.

He also said that Russia is “repeating the imperialist policies that the United States and its satellites have been pushing against Russia for decades.”

Kim said Russia-North Korea relations were “entering a new era of high prosperity” and pledged “full support” for Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian state media reported.

Earlier, Kim was at Pyongyang International Airport to greet Putin early Wednesday, shaking his hand and hugging him, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. He then accompanied Putin in his limousine to the Kumsusan State Guest House where the Russian leader will be staying.

The agency said the two leaders “exchanged their inner thoughts” during the trip and their meeting demonstrated the “invincibility and stability” of Russia-North Korea relations.

Putin last visited Pyongyang in 2000 to improve relations with Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, while the current North Korean leader's visit to the Russian Far East last year showed signs of deepening ties.

In a letter published by North Korean state media on Tuesday ahead of the visit, Putin said he appreciated the country's support for the war in Ukraine and pledged to support Pyongyang against US “economic pressure, provocation, blackmail and military threats.”

The highlight of the visit is expected to be a new strategic agreement that could deepen military and economic cooperation between the two governments as they seek to bypass global sanctions against them. On Wednesday, Putin called it a “fundamental document” that “will form the basis of our long-term relations.”

According to Russian state media, Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy aide, said on Monday that the leaders' itinerary included separate speeches, a tea party and an “official concert” held at a sports complex.

Daniel K. in Honolulu. Lami Kim, a professor at the Inoue Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, said the strategic deal “could lay the foundation for the arms trade and facilitate their anti-US and anti-Western alliance.”

Western officials worry about weapons and intelligence sharing that could both help Putin's military in Ukraine and threaten the United States and its allies in Asia.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Tuesday that Russia is “desperately trying to build and strengthen ties with countries that can provide what it needs to continue the war of aggression it has launched against Ukraine.”

He said North Korea was supplying Russia with “significant ammunition” as well as other weapons for use in Ukraine.

U.S. intelligence officials believe Putin is offering North Korea nuclear submarines and ballistic missile technology in return, six senior U.S. officials told NBC News. The Biden administration is concerned that Russia could help North Korea complete the final steps needed to deploy its first submarine capable of launching nuclear-armed missiles, they said.

Both North Korea and Russia have denied the arms transfer, which would be a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that Russia has supported in the past.

Russia ended monitoring of UN sanctions against North Korea earlier this year with a veto in the Security Council that led to accusations that Moscow was avoiding investigations and joining China in shielding Kim from the consequences of his weapons tests.

South Korea's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that any cooperation must not violate existing resolutions and “not harm regional peace and stability.”

Pyongyang could also gain access to much-needed oil and natural resources for its battered economy and missile program.

“Their cooperation will further reduce the effectiveness of sanctions,” said Kim, a Honolulu professor.

It's also a personal victory for the North Korean leader, he said, because “meeting a world leader like Putin would be a huge victory” for domestic propaganda efforts to elevate him to the cult-like status of his father and grandfather. .

“There are financial gains and reputation gains,” he said.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula are at their highest level in years, as Kim accelerates weapons tests and the United States, South Korea and Japan step up joint military exercises that the North views as offensive exercises. Last year Kim put aside his goal of unification with the South, citing concerns that he was preparing for an all-out attack on the US ally.

Rival neighbors escalated the psychological warfare, exchanging balloons filled with waste and music over loudspeakers. South Korean troops fired warning shots on Tuesday after North Korean troops crossed the heavily guarded border, apparently making a mistake.

Both remained technically at war after the Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

After leaving North Korea on Wednesday, Putin is expected to visit Vietnam, which improved its ties with the United States during President Joe Biden's visit last year.

A US State Department spokesman told NBC News: “No country should give Putin a platform to promote his wars of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalize his atrocities.”