SEOUL, South Korea (NEWSnet/AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea for a two-day visit starting Tuesday, both countries announced.

Putin is expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for talks as they deepen their alignment. It will be Putin’s first trip to North Korea in 24 years.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Putin will pay a state visit on Tuesday and Wednesday at Kim’s invitation. North Korean state media didn’t immediately provide details. Russia confirmed the visit in a simultaneous announcement.

Kim traveled to Russia's far east in September to meet Putin and visit several military sites, sparking Western concerns about an arms alliance between the two countries.

Russian and North Korean officials said that boosting defense ties between the two countries was discussed during the visit. However, they didn't disclose any specific steps.

U.S. and South Korean officials have accused the North of providing Russia with artillery, missiles and other military equipment to help prolong its fighting in Ukraine, possibly in return for key military technologies and aid. Both Pyongyang and Moscow have denied accusations about North Korean weapons transfers.

Any weapons trade with North Korea would be a violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions that Russia, a permanent U.N. Security Council member, previously endorsed.

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