Kim Jong Un's North Korea may provide Russians with a vision of their future under Vladimir Putin – Scotsman comment

Kim Jong Un is the leader of a supposedly “democratic” republic and a communist who inherited his office from his father and grandfather before him

Xi Jinping once declared Vladimir Putin was “my best, most intimate friend”, while the taciturn Russian dictator described his Chinese counterpart as “my dear friend”. However, with the war in Ukraine going badly for him, it appears Putin is in need of a new despotic buddy.

On welcoming North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to a meeting, Putin quoted a Russian proverb: “An old friend is better than two new ones.” A dig at Beijing, a sign of a falling out? Here’s hoping.

Kim is a political oddity, as head of a supposedly “democratic” republic and a communist who inherited his office from his father and grandfather before him. He’s also as evil as world leaders get, maintaining his grip on power in what Human Rights Watch calls “one of the most repressive countries in the world” – where famine is an ever-present threat – through executions, forced labour camps, and disappearances.

Perhaps Putin the Poisoner, who also likes to lock up and murder dissidents, was looking not just for ammunition, but tips on how to survive. In North Korea, Russians may have a vision of their future.