Vladimir Putin receives warm welcome in North Korea

The Russian president Vladimir Putin has arrived in Pyongyang -North Korea early Wenesday morning, and was received by Kim Jong Un, leader of North Korea.

Before the talks, Kim welcomed Putin with a lavish ceremony in the city’s main square, where he introduced key members of the North Korean leadership including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui; top aide and ruling party secretary Jo Yong Won; and the leader's powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong.

Putin’s visit to Pyongyang comes amid growing concerns about an arms arrangement in which North Korea provides Russia with badly needed munitions to fuel Moscow' swar in Ukraine in exchange for economic assistance and technology transfers.

North Korea is under heavy U.N. Security Council economic sanctions over its nuclear weapons and missile programs, while Russia is also grappling with sanctions by the United States and its Western partners over its aggression in Ukraine.