Kim met Monday with Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, who is leading a delegation focused on “cooperation in trade, economy, science and technology,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. A delegation from a Russian military academy also arrived in the North Korean capital, KCNA said, without providing details about the visit.

Last week, Pyongyang said it had ratified a landmark defence pact with Russia, after Russian lawmakers voted unanimously in favour of the deal, which Putin later signed. Noting the new treaty, Kim said his meeting with Kozlov was aimed at “further promoting” trade as well as “scientific and technological exchange,” according to KCNA. The North Korean leader added the two countries’ relations “have reached a new strategic level”.

In exchange for North Korea’s sending troops, the West fears Russia is offering technological support that could advance Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

Experts say Pyongyang could be using Ukraine as a means of realigning its foreign policy. By sending soldiers, North Korea is positioning itself within the Russian war economy as a supplier of weapons, military support and labor — potentially even bypassing its traditional ally, neighbor and main trading partner, China, according to analysts.