Putin vows "indivisible security in Eurasia" ahead of North Korea visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit North Korea, arriving on Tuesday evening local time for a two-day trip. During his stay, he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to sign a "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty", marking the closest relations between the two countries since the end of the Soviet Union. The Russian president has pledged his unwavering support in a letter published by North Korea's ruling Workers' Party mouthpiece. Putin expressed gratitude for North Korea's backing of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine and emphasized the need to develop alternative trade and payment systems not controlled by Western powers.