Putin to visit North Korea starting Tuesday for talks with Kim Jong Un, both countries say

North Korean state media says Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in the country on Tuesday for a two-day visit, his first trip to the country in 24 years. Putin is expected to meet the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for talks focused on expanding military cooperation as they deepen their alignment in the face of separate, intensifying confrontations with Washington. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Monday that Putin will pay a state visit to the North on Tuesday and Wednesday at the invitation of Kim. North Korean state media didn’t immediately provide more details. Russia confirmed the visit in a simultaneous announcement.