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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Simon Tisdall

Putin’s collection of oddball allies grows by the day. It’s time the west got tougher

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok in April 2019. They are set to meet again this week to discuss arms and food trade.
Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok in April 2019. They are set to meet again this week to discuss arms and food trade. Photograph: Yuri Kadobnov/AP

Vladimir Putin must be feeling fairly desperate if he’s relying on Kim Jong-un for friendship and support. There’s a reason why North Korea’s unpredictable dictator is among the world’s most ostracised leaders.

Nobody likes him and he don’t care, as the saying goes. Yet Russia’s despised, isolated war-criminal president is in much the same leaky boat these days, slowly sinking, calling out for help.

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