North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rolled into Beijing in his signature green armored train on Tuesday to join Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping for a massive military parade. The reclusive leader’s appearance at the event, intended to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, is the first time a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959. It comes after Putin greeted Xi as his “dear friend” and said relations between the two countries had “reached their highest level in history” as he and Indian Prime Minister Modi held hands while attending the Chinese president’s Shanghai Co-Operation Organization (SCO) summit this week, intended to showcase Xi’s vision of an anti-western coalition which could challenge America’s dominance on the world stage. While Kim was not present at the summit, he is considered a key player in the “axis of upheaval,” with a trilateral meeting between the three leaders heavily rumored to take place this week. The North Korean dictator has sought to strengthen ties with Putin by supplying arms to Russia and even sending troops to the frontlines in Ukraine, angering Xi in the process, who has insisted on taking a more neutral stance on the conflict.
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