VLADIMIR Putin gave Kim Jung-un a chilling leaving gift at the end of his bizarre six-day "friendship" tour filled with weapons, wine and walruses.
The North Korean leader's visit to Russia has stoked Western fears that an isolated, nuclear-armed Pyongyang will provide Moscow with weapons to use against Ukraine.
It was Kim's first trip abroad in over four years and the grinning leader walked away with plenty of unusual state gifts, including a rifle, cosmonaut's glove and a fur hat.
However, just before the iron-first ruler left for his pariah state, he was ceremonially presented with explosive and reconnaissance drones – which breaches UN sanctions.
Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Primorsky region gave Kim five explosive drones and a Geranium-25 reconnaissance drone, which is widely used in the war in Ukraine.
That violates at least two U.N. Security Council resolutions againstNorth Korea imposed for its banned missile and nuclear activities- which Moscow voted to approve.
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Kim will be bringing back his new trove to the "friendship" museum, where gifts received by North Korea's three generations of leaders are kept.
Before his departure, he was also treated to a performing walrus show at Russia's largest aquarium on Sunday.
Footage showed the dictator smiling broadly as he applauded the dancing walrus and its handler.
Aside from the silliness, Kim inspected everything from Russian space rockets to submarines on his defence-focused trip and even donned his new heavy fur hat in 22C heat as he looked at bombers at Vladivostok airfield.
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Today, North Korean state media said Kim "extended his heartfelt thanks to President Putin and the Russian leadership" for "their special care and cordial hospitality".
North Korea and Russia, historic allies, are both under rafts of global sanctions – Moscow for its Ukraine invasion, Pyongyang for its nuclear weapon tests.
During his visit, Kim said his country would make bilateral ties with Russia its "number one priority".
After the meeting Putin talked up the prospect of greater cooperation with North Korea and the “possibilities” for military ties.
But the Kremlin has said no agreement has or will be signed.
The tour kicked off with a decadent Bond-villain-style banquet, in which the pair vowed to fight a "sacred" battle against the West.
Through a translator, Kim told Putin he was sure that the Russian army and people would triumph against "evil".
Later, Putin raised a toast "to the future strengthening of cooperation and friendship between our countries.
"For the well-being and prosperity of our nations, for the health of the chairman and all of those present.
During the tour, Putin accepted an invitation to visit North Korea and offered to send one of its nationals to space, which would be a first.
The White House has warned that arms negotiations between North Korea and Russia are "actively advancing".
Experts claim that Russia is eager for North Korea's stockpile of artillery shells to be used in Ukraine, while Kim is looking for help with satellite technology and upgrading its Soviet-era military equipment.
It comes as Russian opposition sources bizarrely claimed that Kim would not be meeting with the real president during his bombshell visit.
They believe he is seriously ill with terminal cancer and has not been seen in public for more than a year.
Instead, a doppelgänger dictator – or even several lookalikes – allegedly now replace the real ex-KGB spy at public events.
Russian political analyst Dr Valery Solovey backed up those wild theories and told opposition channel Khodorkovsky.Live that Putin is seriously ill.
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He said: “Let me stress: he [Putin] will not survive this autumn.”
North Korean state media declared the trip was a triumph, stating that the leader "starts his way home after bringing about a new radical turn in the history of the development of the DPRK-Russia relations."
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