Pyongyang, North Korea:

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for his first visit in 24 years, Interfax news agency reported.

The visit at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un underscores Moscow’s growing relationship with the nuclear-armed state since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Putin issued a presidential order on the eve of the visit saying Moscow was looking to sign a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” with North Korea, which his foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said would include security cooperation.

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