Russian update: As Putin and Kim sit for talks, the Russian leader praises North Korea’s ‘unwavering’ support for the Ukrainian war.

LONDON — Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un began on Wednesday a meeting in Pyongyang, where the two are anticipated to reaffirm their strategic collaboration in opposition to Western leaders.

Putin in his opening remarks thanked Kim for his “unwavering support” for Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. Wednesday’s meeting, which comes on the second day of Putin’s official state visit, is anticipated to run roughly nine hours.

The conversations in North Korea are the latest in a series of discussions concerning commercial and economic links between the two countries, both of which are subject to Western sanctions.

The two chiefs of state held face-to-face negotiations in eastern Russia in September, which were followed by rounds of lower-level talks in both Pyongyang and Moscow.

“As a result of your visit to Russia last year, we made much headway in developing contemporary interstate relations,” Putin said in his opening address, according to Interfax, a Russian news agency. “A new fundamental document has been drafted to lay a long-term foundation for our relations.”

North Korean state media on Wednesday said Kim’s administration was hoped the meetings would lead to “deepening economic and trade relations” with Russia.

The U.S. State Department has stated North Korea has delivered armaments — including dozens of ballistic missiles and more than 11,000 containers of munitions — to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. U.S. sources said it was expected that Putin would ask for extra military aid while in Pyongyang.

“We have seen him get incredibly desperate over the past few months and look to Iran to rebolster the military that he’s — military equipment that he has lost in Ukraine, to look to North Korea to rearm himself,” Matthew Miller, a state department spokesperson, said during a briefing on Tuesday.

“And so I’m quite certain that that is what he’s up to.”North Korea on Wednesday conducted a welcome ceremony for Putin, who had arrived late Tuesday and stayed at a state guest house overnight.

Kim had met Putin as he stepped off his jet at Pyongyang International Airport. The two traveled in Putin’s private vehicle, passing “through charmingly lit streets” to the guest house where Putin stayed, North Korean state media reported.

The pair on Wednesday morning strolled through Kim Il Sung Square along a red carpet. They were greeted by throngs of North Koreans waving flowers, balloons and flags.