Reports suggest a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders could happen this month.

Not much is being said – by either Moscow or Pyongyang – but their relations appear to be deepening.

Washington maintains Moscow is desperate, and is further isolating itself amid the war in Ukraine.

So, is an isolated Russia more dangerous for the West? And will forging ties with North Korea give President Putin more leverage?

Presenter: Imran Khan

Guests:

Youngshik Bong – Research fellow at Yongsei University Institute for North Korean Studies and adviser to South Korea’s National Unification Ministry

Julie Norman – Co-director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London

Sergei Markov – Former Russian member of parliament and a former spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin