Putin and Kim Jong Un's relationship is a marriage of convenience: Here's how it works

Even a long wait for Russian President Vladimir Putin's arrival in Pyongyang in the early hours of Wednesday morning was not enough to dampen Kim Jong Un's enthusiasm for his "comrade."

Waiting on the runway as Putin disembarked his plane shortly before 3a.m. local time, hours behind schedule, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un beamed as he greeted his Russian counterpart with a shake of hands and an embrace. State-controlled North Korean news agency KCNA said Kim "could not contain his joy" at what it described as a "touching reunion."

As a large motorcade accompanied the leaders into the capital, whose streets had been draped with Russian flags and portraits of Putin, Kim praised the "historic" occasion — Putin's first visit to North Korea in 24 years and a now-rarer trip abroad for the president — and the "invincibility and solidity" of the Russia-North Korean relationship.

After a lavish welcoming ceremony on Wednesday morning, which saw tens of thousands of North Koreans line the streets, cheering and singing in honor of Putin's visit, the Russian leader thanked North Korea for its "consistent and wavering support for Russian policy, including in the Ukrainian direction."

Putin also signalled that the states could sign a "comprehensive strategic partnership" during the trip, signalling that this isn't just a friendly state visit to cement diplomatic relations, but one to expand mutually-beneficial strategic transactions — the quid pro quo — between the countries.

On the face of it, North Korea appears to be the supplicant in its relationship with Russia, but Pyongyang holds a trump card when it comes to Moscow, for now at least: it can provide Moscow with millions of artillery rounds and short-range ballistic missiles for