The meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Kim Jong-Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Amur Oblast raised some concerns in the West.

This is not the first time that the two leaders have met. However, the dynamic of the war in Ukraine made this meeting one to watch.

More worrisome – though hardly unexpected – is that, at the end of the meeting in the Russian Far East, there was no press statement nor any press conference. If any deals were agreed upon, they remain shrouded in mystery.

However, there are some conclusions one can deduce. Beyond any reasonable doubt, this was not a mere photo-op or a courtesy visit for both leaders. Russia is just one of two countries to have a border with North Korea and it has long been an ally of the reclusive State. On his part, Kim Jong-Un is notoriously paranoid about his personal safety and keeps travel to a minimum.

In July, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang. This was significant because it was one of the first foreign visits allowed after the devastating COVID-19 pandemic.

South Korean intelligence suggested that the Russian side proposed joint naval drills between North Korea, the People’s Republic of China and Russia, perhaps in an attempt to counter similar exercises conducted by the United States, South Korea and Japan.

There was also speculation that the Russian side was asking for weapons. Earlier in the year, Pyongyang denied supplying Moscow with weapons and Moscow denied using North Korean weapons in Ukraine. However, things may change.

As the war in Ukraine progresses, Russian stocks need replenishment. North Korea has the necessary ammunition and artillery shell stocks to supply the Russian side. It is also believed to have tested hypersonic missiles that can fly at a low altitude, beyond the speed of sound and escape radar detection.

Russia, on the other hand, can provide much-needed capital and food for starving North Korea. North Korea’s borders have been closed for over three years, leaving much of the population starving and needing foreign aid.

Russia may also be crucial for Kim Jong-Un in terms of technology and expertise for further developing Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. North Korea relies on this for its leverage with the rest of the world.

NATO and the United States are concerned with such a development. Following the failed talks between the US and North Korea in 2019, the latter has become more reclusive.

Moreover, the unpredictability of both regimes and the fact that both countries are in dire straits means they will latch on to any deal that can alleviate their situation.

Some analysts have pointed out that any deal is more transactional than strategic. It has the potential to be both. However, most importantly, it is also a matter of survival.

While the images of President Putin welcoming Kim Jong-Un have sent shivers down several spines in the West, they also tend to signify another political shift which is not to be underestimated; Putin has now firmly entrenched himself as a pariah resorting to striking deals with other pariahs.

Indeed, Putin and Kim continue to cement their image as two of a kind: strongmen who use the threat of force and destruction for political and defence leverage, but also increasingly isolated and desperate bully boys who are only taken seriously by their own ilk.