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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia on Tuesday (September 12) for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, with a primary focus on Russia's desire to replenish ammunition reserves depleted by its conflict in Ukraine.

After their much awaited meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East post touring space rocket assembly and launch facilities at the spaceport, Kim Jong Un put out a statement on Wednesday (September 13), that his country would prioritise its bilateral relations with Russia above all else. As per Russian news agency TASS, the meeting ended after nearly two hours. 

Kim said, "Our foreign policy will now place the North Korea-Russia relationship as its utmost priority." This declaration was made as Kim visited a Russian space centre alongside Putin, as reported in footage broadcast on Russian TV.

Reports also say that Putin toasted the "strengthening of future cooperation" with North Korea as he hosted Kim in an official dinner in the Russian Far East after the meeting.

"A toast to the future strengthening of cooperation and friendship between our countries," Putin said, raising his glass in footage aired by Russian state television.

"For the well-being and prosperity of our nations, for the health of the chairman and all of those present," he added.

Kremlin reporters, cited by Reuters noted that Putin and Kim were given a menu that featured choices like duck and fig salad, crab dumplings, sturgeon, and the option to pair their meal with various Russian wines.

What does Kim want?

"The North Korean objective behind this visit is to bypass certain sanctions and acquire energy and technology that they can use for advanced weapon development," Dr Jitendra Uttam, Associate Professor at the Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal University (JNU), told WION. 

"This also provides North Korea with some breathing space. Following the visit of the Chinese delegation to North Korea, and now Kim's visit to Russia, it openly conveys the message that Russia and China are supporting North Korea and are looking forward to deeper ties," adds Dr Uttam. 

Additionally, Kim aims to showcase improved relations with Moscow to demonstrate that North Korea is emerging from years of isolation. North Korean leaders attach significant importance to face-to-face meetings with world leaders as symbols of international significance and for domestic propaganda purposes. 

But there is one more thing that North Korea wants - a spy satellite. 

North Korea is persistently striving to achieve its inaugural satellite launch, an endeavour marked by two unsuccessful attempts earlier this year. In response to this, Russia has pledged assistance, offering support at a crucial juncture.

Its ambition in space exploration traces back to 1998, with six satellite launches undertaken since then. Among them, two have seemingly entered orbit successfully. In 2015, a high-ranking North Korean space official expressed the nation's interest in collaborating with Russia for the "peaceful" utilisation of outer space.

The last confirmed satellite launch occurred in 2016, sparking international discussions about its purpose and functionality. Meanwhile, another senior official from North Korea's space agency outlined plans to deploy advanced satellites by 2020, ultimately aspiring to establish a North Korean presence on the moon.

Also read | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's Russian delegation: Who's Who?

What's Putin's gain?

This meeting certainly yield Russia some significant benefits. The country has been facing a shortage of war supplies due to its involvement in the Ukraine conflict. There have been suspicions that North Korea has been supplying Russia with artillery shells, rockets, and other ammunition, some of which may be Soviet-era copies.

To bolster this speculation, Kim, with the help of a translator, conveyed to Putin his confidence that the Russian military and its citizens would prevail against what he characterised as the Western world's imperialistic influence in the Ukraine conflict, labelling it as "evil.

This exchange would likely violate UN resolutions prohibiting arms trade with North Korea. However, facing international sanctions and export controls due to its Ukraine involvement, Russia has turned to sanctioned countries like North Korea and Iran for weapons procurement.

Russia and North Korea are reportedly considering the possibility of bilateral military exercises, representing North Korea's first military drills with a foreign country since the Korean War in 1953.

North Korea has traditionally adhered to a policy of "juche," or self-reliance, and avoided joint military exercises with foreign nations.

Also watch | North Korea's Kim Jong-un arrives in Russia

"However, the advent of a new axis between South Korea-US-Japan, driven by the United States to tighten security cooperation within the framework of the Indo-Pacific, could potentially prompt Kim Jong Un to break with tradition and create a new axis with Russia, China, and Iran for the first time," says Dr Uttam.

While the true extent of North Korea's and Russia's military cooperation remains uncertain, it reflects both countries' interests in demonstrating their strengthened cooperation and signalling their positions to the United States.

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