In a world where isolationist policies and economic sanctions have become the diplomatic equivalent of a trendy diet, it's fitting that two famously ostracized leaders, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, would find camaraderie in their mutual solitude. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin will step into the Hermit Kingdom for a two-day visit at the invitation of North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un (NBC News, 2024; CNN, 2024). This marks Putin’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years, proving perhaps that good things—or at least, interesting things—come to those who wait (NBC News, 2024; CNN, 2024).

During their much-anticipated reunion, Putin and Kim are expected to focus on expanding military cooperation amid their separate yet equally intense confrontations with Washington (NBC News, 2024). Forget long walks on the beach; this bromance is all about military strategies and weaponry.

The meeting comes in the wake of increased military, economic, and other cooperation between North Korea and Russia since Kim visited the Russian Far East in September for a tête-à-tête with Putin, their first since 2019 (NBC News, 2024). Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder, or at least it opens up opportunities for artillery exchanges.

However, the blossoming relationship isn't without its complications. U.S. and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of providing Russia with artillery, missiles, and other military equipment to aid in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine (NBC News, 2024). Both Pyongyang and Moscow deny these accusations, maintaining their best poker faces while violating U.N. Security Council resolutions in spirit, if not always in letter (NBC News, 2024).

The international community is increasingly concerned over a potential arms arrangement where North Korea would provide Moscow with munitions for the war in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers (NBC News, 2024). It's like a Secret Santa, but with much higher stakes and significantly less holiday cheer.

This visit is the latest sign of a deepening alignment between Russia and North Korea, an alignment that has triggered widespread international concern (CNN, 2024). If Washington needed another reason to lose sleep, here it is on a silver platter.

So, while the global audience holds its collective breath, Putin and Kim will likely be clinking glasses somewhere in Pyongyang, toasting to their shared love of sanctions and solitude. Misery, as they say, loves company, and in this case, it comes with a side of nuclear capability.

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