We were hearing last week that this might be happening and now it has been confirmed. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is heading to Russia.

“Our Dearest Comrade Kim Jong Un will be visiting Russia upon invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the visit he will meet Putin and hold a summit,” the Korean Central News Agency said, according to the report.

A bullet-proof train believed to be carrying the North Korean leader departed Pyongyang on Sunday night, the report said, citing a South Korean official. The train is expected to take two days to arrive in the Russian city of Vladivostok on the North Korean border, a 683-mile journey that will be taken at just 37 miles per hour. From there, the train is expected to be outfitted with new wheels that will allow it to travel on Russian tracks. Putin also began a two-day trip to Vladivostok on Monday for an economic forum, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

What’s the point of this meeting? For Russia it’s about artillery for the war in Ukraine and for North Korea it’s probably about food.

“Arms discussions between Russia and the DPRK are expected to continue during Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s official name of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. “We urge the DPRK to abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia.”

North Korea has possibly tens of millions of artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could potentially give a huge boost to the Russian army, analysts say.

In exchange, Kim could seek badly needed energy and food aid and advanced weapons technologies, including those related to intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable ballistic missile submarines and military reconnaissance satellites, analysts say.

The US is warning North Korea not to agree to sell any arms to Russia:

“As we have warned publicly, arms discussions between Russia and the DPRK are expected to continue during Kim Jong-Un’s trip to Russia,” said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in response to Russia and North Korea’s announcement. “We urge the DPRK to abide by the public commitments that Pyongyang has made to not provide or sell arms to Russia.”

Of course that won’t matter to Russia or North Korea. If anything, our disapproval will only encourage them. But there’s another concern about this meeting. It’s not just that Russia could purchase millions of artillery shells, it’s what North Korea might want in return. Food is a given but what happens if Kim Jong Un wants some of Russia’s ICBM expertise to add to the very significant program North Korea has already built.

Experts are concerned that Russia could share advanced nuclear, submarine, and missile technologies with North Korea in exchange for the artillery.

“This [meeting] is a very significant development if it goes forward,” Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, told CNN. “Russia has the military technology that Kim wants for his illegal satellite launch and nuclear weapons delivery programs.”

A former DIA official, Rebekah Koffler, put it this way:

“Two of our top adversaries are joining forces, expanding military-industrial cooperation,” Koffler said. “Russia possesses one of the world’s most extensive know-how in nuclear arms and space technology. The fact that it will be sharing this know-how with North Korea is not a good thing for the United States. The fact that these two adversaries also have a close relationship with China makes matters even worse.”

Anything that furthers the cooperation of these three autocrats is going to be bad news for the free world, either now or in the near future.